9
by Nyneve
Summary: 6.1. With Miss Selly.“I adore ‘Chutes and Ladders’.” TM:Van Helsing:Buffy:GW:Evo:Miyu:POTC:GS:Wolf's Rain::Now with hints of Shounen Ai
1. Prologue

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All other characters belong to their rightful creators.

Prologue:

Fire Blossom. Saxen Maverick.

**"100 cups of coffee on the wall…" **Sharon sang quietly to herself, in an attempt to stay awake long enough to drive the truck. She knew that you could keep going for only so long on cheap coffee and snack foods, but when she was in a rush to get home and hadn't thought about the consequences.

Sharon was just an average, middle-aged dog breeder. Her once honey colored hair was now graying, but she had decided long ago that it looked distinguished. She really had never seen the point in attempting to look younger than she was. With all those powders and lotions, she would end up appearing older, not to mention cakey. Her dogs certainly didn't care how she looked.

Her dogs. She loved her dogs more than anything. A lot of people these days were more interested in "exotic" animals shipped in from other planets and systems…but she supposed she was just an old-fashioned girl. Dogs were her life.

In the impending twilight she spied a dark shape on the side of the road. It appeared humanoid, sitting on something. Squinting, she realized it was a girl, on top of a large backpack. She was reading something by the light of…shaking her head and closing her eyes, Sharon leaned forward. The caffeine was playing tricks on her. It looked like there was a flame coming from the girl's thumb.

As her truck grew nearer, the girl suddenly leapt to her feet and stuck out her thumb—now clearly unlit—in the universal way that identified her as a hitchhiker. Sharon debated for a few seconds before applying the brake. What the hell…at the very least having someone to talk to would help her stay awake.

The door was pulled open and the backpack thumped into the car, closely followed by its mistress. She appeared to be in her late teens, with hair almost the color of chocolate. Except for on the ends, where it had been dyed a violent shade of red. She seemed relatively clean cut for a hitchhiker, with only one tastefully sparkling earring in the cartilage of her left ear. Her eyes were probably the most interesting part of her. At first glance, they seemed ordinary and brown. But any closer inspection showed strange golden flecks that seemed to move and disappear at times. Other than that, she was extremely unremarkable. Though for some reason, that set Sharon on edge.

"Thanks," she buckled her seatbelt and startled Sharon out of her studying, "Not many people out tonight. Even fewer willing to give a poor girl a ride." She laughed heartily, but Sharon didn't get the joke.

"I'm Sharon," she offered.

"Fire Blossom," The girl began rooting around in her extraordinarily lumpy backpack, "But since we're such close friends, you can call me Effie." Sharon wrinkled her nose.

"Your parents named you Fire Blossom?"

"Nope, my parents named me Kathy. Aha!" She crowed with triumph after producing a small bottle of black nail polish. Sharon was amazed it hadn't been smashed to pieces, "But I figured Fire Blossom fit me better."

"Hmm." Sharon tried to sound noncommittal but was berating herself. What was she thinking, picking up a hitchhiker? This girl was probably some kind of psychopath! "Where are you heading?"

"Anywhere you are…" Effie stuck her tongue out in concentration as she began the incredibly difficult feat of painting her nails inside a moving vehicle, "Though I'd prefer some kind of city. Something with shuttle access."

"Space, huh? Going home?"

"No way, I'm an Earth girl, born and bred. I never really understood that expression, do you—oh crap!" She had created a long streak of nail polish along her…well, it appeared to be a tie-dyed trench coat. Rubbing furiously at it with a Kleenex that had miraculously appeared out of her backpack, she grumbled under her breath.

Sharon couldn't help but laugh at her fury. Effie turned back, scowling. But laughter proved to be contagious and soon they were both laughing. Sharon began to feel much more at ease.

"You know," she started, "when I first saw you on the side of the road, I could have sworn you had a fire coming from your finger."

"What," Effie said, "like this?" And with that, she flicked her thumb as though lighting a match, and sure enough…a small flame blazed off it.

Sharon nearly drove off the road. She gaped at her.

"What kind of psycho trick is that?"

"No trick," the girl shrugged and the flame disappeared, "useful, but if it makes you uncomfortable I won't do it."

"But," Sharon's eyes darted from Effie's face to her thumb, "how do you do it?"

"I'm Connected," she said enigmatically, and refused to say anymore on the subject.

They rode in silence a while longer, Sharon quite shaken and strongly regretting ever letting this girl into her truck. What Effie thought was anyone's guess…she had buried herself in a book that did not appear to have a title. It was quite thick, and a mottled gray color. It did not appear to have any other signs of age, but gave off a great feeling of knowledge. Sharon glanced at it out of the corner of her eye several times before her curiosity got the better of her.

"What are you reading?"

"A book." Sharon rolled her eyes.

"What kind of book?"

"A good book," she turned a page, seemingly oblivious to Sharon's growing discomfort.

"What's it called?" Sharon persisted.

"Annabellina." Sharon laughed dryly and Effie looked up, "I'm serious. That's what I call her."

"Her?"

"Well, yes."

"How do you know it's a girl book?"

"Sometimes you just know. Ah, here we go!" Sharon looked up and realized they had finally reached a city. She had been so distracted by…Annabellina…that she hadn't noticed. Effie grabbed the backpack again and shoved the book in rather unceremoniously.

"Goodbye Sharon, and thank you for the ride!" She unlatched the door and hopped out, "Come along, Frank." Immediately the backpack rose a few centimeters off the floor of the truck and floated out to hover near her waist. Sharon gaped as the door slammed and Effie waved jovially from the sidewalk.

She flattened the gas pedal and got as far away from the girl called Fire Blossom as quickly as she could. She was never going to pick up another hitchhiker as long as she lived.

Back where she had been dropped off, Effie waited until the truck was out of sight then turned to her backpack.

"Well, Frank, I guess it's time we started communing with the stars," her smile faded and she frowned at the floating bag, "I am not 'hippy dippy'. Well, same to you. Oh," she full out scowled at her backpack, "shut up."

**"You can't bring that dog in here,"** the man said.

He was around forty or forty-five years old, humanoid, overweight, with square glasses and a fringe of greasy black hair around his rather lumpy head. He owned the small casino called _Prospero's_ on a once-thriving satellite just outside of the Orion system (though everything except the casino, a few bars, and a fleabag hotel were now closed). His name was Gunthar Corona, though the regulars called him "Gunny." Oddly conservative for a casino owner, he was also quite irritable and targeted the drunks and stoners that visited _Prospero's_. He claimed it was because they were a bad image and bad for business, but everyone knew he was just blaming them for the fact that old Gunny couldn't run a casino to save his grandma's life and lost approximately 10K a week.

But meanwhile, the current instigator was somewhat strange. It was a woman, and a sober and clean one at that. However, no one could argue about the roughness of her. Indeed, at first glance it would be unclear as to whether she was a human female at all, but, after study, it seemed she was. She was tall and tan, features that marked her as a native of one of the Maffei III planets, all ten of which were dangerously close to the central sun, Surya. Her right eye was covered by a brown leather patch to match her brown leather hat, coat, boots, pants, and fingerless gloves. There was also a long maroon scar that ran beneath the patch from her temple, to her cheek, to her chin. Tiger's Eye studs glimmered in both of her ears, and a simple copper band, not unlike a wedding ring, was on her right ring finger. And the most intimidating thing about her was the Gaganite rifle (A Doomsday Beta-shot, to be specific) slung across her back.

Old Gunny didn't seem to notice the firearm though, because at the moment he was warily eying the dog standing next to the woman. He never did like dogs. Ever since one had bitten him as a child, he had been deathly afraid of them (not that he'd ever admit that to anyone). And this one was one of the worst he'd ever seen. It was blood red and stood hip high on the woman. The facial features and ears were pointed, and its body was long and lean. The dog opened its mouth in a yawn, revealing glittering ivory canines, then sat down and looked up at him indifferently with its curious gold eyes.

The woman glanced at him. "Wolf," she corrected, fixing her single orange eye on him. It seemed to glow from under the shadow cast by the hat's wide brim.

"What?" Gunny cocked his head.

"He's not a dog, he's a wolf. And he's with me," the woman explained.

"I don't give a damn what he is. But you can't bring him in here!" Gunny snapped. "Either tie him up outside, or both of you can get the hell out!"

Suddenly, something jutted into his stomach. Surprised and breathless from the blow, he glanced down and went pale. Pressed into his large, soft belly was the barrel of a silver revolver.

"Mr. Corona," the woman murmured. Her mouth was close to his ear, and the feeling of her hot breath on him sent a shiver down his spine. "Yes, it is real. Earth made, I can't remember the name, but it's very old and very reliable."

Several people were now looking up from their slot machines and the few blackjack and poker tables situated around the edge of the casino. Gunny cursed himself. _Prospero's_ was not nearly so large (or successful) that he could afford to have a good security force. Usually, he just looked after things himself, though there were two night guards that were currently supposed to be watching the security monitors. But considering that they weren't showing up with their own firearms drawn, he assumed they'd found something better to do. Growing angry at that thought, he swore he would fire them for their neglect of duties. Assuming the armed woman didn't kill him, of course.

"My name is Saxen Maverick, and I am a licensed bounty hunter. If you'd like to see my registration papers, I'd be glad to show them to you," the woman went on. "There is currently a targeted criminal that has been visiting your casino quite frequently. I merely intend to remove him. The wolf is my partner, and I'm hoping you'll be willing to make an exception to your policies regarding his presence. If not," her finger cocked the hammer back. "I'm afraid I'll have to make an exception to mine, particularly the one about making sure as little damage is done as possible, to both property and personnel."

Little drops of sweat ran down Gunny's forehead, but he was determined not to let Maverick intimidate him.

"Th-th-the papers. Please," he stammered, fear choking his words.

Maverick opened her coat and pulled out a small planner. Still pressing the gun into his gut, she pulled out two sheets of paper and handed them to him. He took them with a shaking hand. Sure enough, a bounty hunter. Although there had undoubtedly been criminal activities conducted in _Prospero's_, he had never had a bounty hunter. At least, not that he was aware of.

"T-t-terri-b-bly sorry, Miss Maverick. Had n-no id-d-d-dea. Of c-course the wo—I mean, your p-p-partner is welcome," Gunny took a few deep breaths and handed the papers back. To his relief, Maverick stowed both them and the gun in her coat.

"I knew you'd understand, Mr. Corona. Thank you for your cooperation," she replied, calm and cool as ever. Gunny glanced downward at the wolf. It was smiling triumphantly, at least he thought so.

"Please, Miss Maverick. Allow me to make up for my inconsideration with a few drinks, a meal, perhaps a few rounds of blackjack?" he offered.

"I don't drink, I don't gamble, and I don't eat on the job," she replied. "If you could, please inform your guests to stay calm and continue their activities as normal. I am going to try and keep low. If it should happen that there is a struggle, I will try to take it outside. And if that is impossible…well, you're aware of the phrase "hit the deck"?"

Gunny nodded.

"Use it well," Maverick warned, then inclined her head in the direction of the far slot row. The wolf stood up and followed her. Within a matter of minutes, they had disappeared between the machines and sounds of bells and curses. And that was the most unnerving of all.

The casino owner did not see either Maverick or her canine partner for nearly two hours. Then, a blue-skinned young man dressed in a gray business suit walked in. Gunny recognized him as a patron who had taken home nearly twelve thousand dollars the previous week in a game of blackjack. It had been his biggest loss all year. And so he didn't really mind when some subconscious entity told him that this was Maverick's target.

Sure enough, he saw her emerge and take the blue man aside. He saw her mouth move, but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. The blue man's face wore a look of confusion which turned to fear as soon as Maverick drew not one, but _two_ silver revolvers. Gunny could imagine her saying that the blue man should just come quietly, but by the look on his face, that was the last idea on his mind. Maverick sighed and cocked the hammers…

"HIT THE DECK!" Gunny screamed and dropped down. The other patrons looked around confused, then the guns went off. A woman screamed, and a shower of plaster from the ceiling wafted slowly downwards as everyone ran for the door. The blue man had knocked Maverick's arms upward and she had missed. But then again, she may have allowed that so that she could fire a warning.

The blue man broke for the door but was cut off suddenly.

"MOKSHA!" Maverick screamed.

Before her target could understand the call, the wolf answered and lunged at him, knocking him back. A knife slipped out of his sleeve, and the wolf just managed to roll away in time. The man got to his feet, but the delay had been enough; Maverick was now behind him. She pointed her guns and fired. Blood spattered everywhere and the man screamed as two holes became visible in each of his shoulder blades. He fell to his knees, then collapsed forward, a sickening gurgle emitting from his bloody mouth.

Maverick stood over him, still on guard in case he was faking. However, when she nudged him with her foot, she felt his dead weight. Each bullet had pierced a lung.

Gawking, Gunny climbed out from under the blackjack table and got to his feet. He moved a few feet behind the bounty hunter.

"Holy shit…" he murmured, staring wide-eyed at Maverick.

She shrugged. "The warrant did say dead or alive." She glanced back at him. "Mr. Corona, could you do me a favor? Please contact the authorities. That way they can get this mess cleaned up. You'll find that they will cover any damages done to your property."

"I…uh…" Gunny frowned. "They'd better."

Maverick rubbed Moksha's head, then smiled. "Another job well done. Thank you, my friend."

Moksha smiled back.


	2. Chapter 1

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All other characters belong to the people who owned them.

Chapter 1:

Meeting. Washu. _Tsunami._

**Effie sat in the Mars spaceport's café,** her nose buried deep within Annabellina's pages. A half-eaten éclair sat on the paper plate in front of her, and steam rose out of the gray plastic mug of cocoa in her free hand. No one was really sure how long she'd been sitting there, but since she wasn't bothering anyone, and she _was_ a paying customer, nobody had bothered to tell her to "move along". However, Effie had been at sitting in the corner booth for a few hours now, not quite ready to try and hitch a ride to…well, wherever she felt like going.

Outside the windows of the café, people of all races made their way up and down the concourses to and from their shuttles. Some were businesspeople on their way to meetings across the galaxy, others were families bound to vacation spots like Titan, Hanuman, and L-328, and still others were aimless travelers not unlike the hitchhiker in the café. And hidden amongst the crowds outside, Maverick and Moksha walked steadily towards that same café. After turning in the bounty from the casino, they had collected their $5,000 check, cashed it, and bought shuttle tickets for Mars, where they could start looking for a new target.

And so it was that the bounty hunter entered the same café as the hitchhiker. Driven perhaps by some unseen force, Maverick glanced to the corner booth at the same time Effie looked up from the book. Their eyes locked for a moment, then both looked away. Maverick sat down at the counter, Moksha at her feet. But the wolf was still looking at the brunette in the booth.

"What can I get you?" the scaly teenaged waitress asked as she sauntered up to the counter.

"Chai, please," Maverick answered. "And if you're serving lunch, I'd like to see a menu as well."

"Certainly," the waitress replied. A holographic screen popped up in front of the hunter and she skimmed it nonchalantly, finally ordering a cup of soup for herself and a bread roll for Moksha. When the waitress returned with the food, Maverick set the plate down in front of the wolf, who ate it gratefully. Meanwhile, she glanced back again at the girl in the corner booth. Pretty enough, and about the same age she had been when she left home. Probably a college student waiting for a flight home, or back to school. And was it just her, or were the girl's eyes actually sparkling with gold?

Effie watched as the woman and her dog ordered and ate with curious eyes. She was perhaps a year or two older than herself, but it was obvious she had been through some difficult things by the eye patch and ugly scar marring her otherwise calm face. The most interesting part was the rifle on her back. However, her intuition told her that she wasn't dangerous. Not too dangerous, anyways.

Suddenly, Effie realized that the red dog that had come in with the woman had wandered over to her booth. It sat back on its haunches and stared at her with curious eyes.

She smiled. "Well hi there. What are you doing over here?" she asked, putting her hand out to pet the dog's head. It smiled at her and licked her palm. She giggled and scratched its ears. "You're pretty friendly. What's your name?"

"His name is Moksha," a low voice answered.

Effie looked up into the face of the one-eyed woman. "Moksha huh? That's a cool name. Is he yours?"

She frowned and shook her head. "He's my partner…but I don't own him. It's very difficult to tame a wolf."

"Well, yeah. That's what I meant. Of course, you can't own another life form, can you? That's like slavery. But he's really a wolf? Cool…" Effie replied.

"Yes…yes he is," the woman paused. "May I sit down?"

"Sure," she answered as the woman sat across from her.

"What's your name?" the one eyes woman asked, removing her hat to reveal maroon hair bound away from her face in a French braid.

"Fire Blossom," she took a sip of cocoa. "You can call me Effie though."

"Fire Blossom? What origin is that?"

"Earth," Effie answered. "My birth name's Kathy, but Fire Blossom just fits better."

"I see…" the woman reached over and scratched Moksha's head. "I'm Saxen Maverick. Gaganite."

"Cool. Always wanted to go to Gagan. Can I call you Saxie?" Effie asked.

Maverick blinked. "…No."

"How 'bout Sax?"

"No."

"Ricky?"

"Ricky?" Maverick cocked her head. "Where did you get that?"

Effie shrugged. "From the "Rick" part of Maverick."

"You can call me Saxen or you can call me Maverick. That's it," Maverick said irritably.

"Grouchy, aren't you?" Effie sighed. "Oh well…" She took another bite of éclair.

Maverick glanced at Moksha. Maybe it would be better just to leave now and not involve herself with this "Fire Blossom" any more. But somehow, she was not quite ready to go just yet.

"Anyways, where are you headed?" Maverick asked.

"Dunno. Anywhere," Effie answered. "You?"

She shrugged again. "Wherever I end up."

"I guess that makes us kind of alike then," Effie commented, then grinned. "Even down to the trenchcoats, huh?" She pointed at Maverick's brown, then her own tie-died. Different in color and material, but similar in design.

"I suppose…" Maverick was unconvinced.

Effie rolled her eyes. "Man, you _do_ need to lighten up Sax. Is this just a bad day for you, or are you always as fun as a funeral?"

"Sorry, but being frivolous can get you killed in my business," she responded.

"Business being…?"

"Bounty hunting."

"Oh," she should've guessed. Only a bounty hunter would travel with someone like Moksha and carry a gun on her back (which made her wonder about the tightness of security in the spaceport). "Well, I guess that clears up the aimless traveling part."

"For me, at least," Maverick agreed. "You on the other hand…well, I'd be surprised if you were a hunter as well."

"No way," Effie laughed. "You're not getting me out there gunning down murderers and rapists. I've got better things to do. Read, travel, become one with the universe…good wholesome pastimes like that." She laughed again.

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "Interesting…so how do you get around?"

"Hitchin'" she answered. In the back of Effie's mind, she was wondering why she was being so open and easygoing with Maverick. Granted, she wasn't nearly as stuffy as the bounty hunter, but she was usually more content to beat around the bush and annoy people who asked too many questions.

Maverick was thinking along the same lines. Unless it was necessary, she avoided talking with civilians at all costs. So why was she sitting in a booth in a café with this Effie lady chatting like a schoolgirl? She had never even _gone_ to school! And she was certainly never as garrulous as this usually. It was making her nervous. Time to get out.

"Well, it certainly was a pleasure talking to you," Maverick said finally, standing up and holding out a gloved hand to Effie. "But I've got a shuttle to catch and—"

"Hold it right there!" a loud voice called out.

Effie and Maverick looked at each other, then around. Surprisingly, no one else seemed to hear the call. Then suddenly, the space around them began to waver and fade. Slowly, the booth, the café, even the entire spaceport vanished, and now the two girls and the wolf were standing in the middle of a strange laboratory. They stood in a small circle of light about twelve feet in diameter, with darkness surrounding them.

"What in the thousand hells?" Maverick murmured.

"Whoa…did you do that?" Effie looked at her. The hunter shook her head.

"Of course not. _I _did!" the voice replied.

On impulse, Maverick drew her revolvers at the exact moment flames flared up in Effie's hands. The two blinked and stared at each other, amazed at their simultaneous response.

"Wow…I _did_ make a good choice in picking you two, didn't I? You guys did that at the exact same time! Amazing!"

A short woman with long spiky red hair and bright green eyes stepped into the light. She was dressed in a tan shirt, brown pants, and a dark purple robe. Her mouth was stretched into a Cheshire Cat grin as she looked from Effie to Maverick.

The bounty hunter narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

She looked shocked. "Why, I am Washu! Goddess of Jurai, Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe, and just about the cutest redhead you'll ever meet!" Her eyes sparkled. "And if you call me 'Lil Washu, I'll be extra nice to you!"

"Uh…okay, 'Lil Washu. So you mind telling us where we are and what we're doing here?" Effie asked, looking around at the computers, tanks, and other foreign objects that were now visible in the dimness. She absentmindedly motioned to Frank, who rose up a few inches so that she could stow Annabellina inside while she stared around (the entire thing managed to shock Maverick a bit, who made a note to herself to later ask Effie about both the backpack and the fire that had come out of her hands before).

"My lab, obviously. If you're wondering how you got here, I just pulled you into this dimension so that we wouldn't have to disturb the rest of the people in the restaurant. But don't worry, nobody noticed," Washu turned around and put her hands behind her head. "And what you're doing here…" she glanced back and winked. "Is preparing to go on an ultra-super top-secret mission for me! Now, if you'd be so kind as to walk this way…"

"Hold it. I'm not going anywhere until I know for sure what this "mission" is," Maverick said stubbornly.

Washu sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked at Effie. "I think she's more stuffy and suspicious than we thought."

The hitchhiker giggled. "Yeah, probably."

Maverick's face reddened ever so slightly. "I just don't trust you, that's all."

"Well of course you don't! You're the smart one!"

"Hey!" Effie snapped.

Washu patted her shoulder good-naturedly. "I'm just kidding. Kidding!"

"Whatever," Effie rolled her eyes. "But Sax has a point. You'd better give us a better explanation of what's going on here."

"Fine," the redhead huffed. "We'll just waste more time, but if you want the long version, that's what you'll get. Just because I like Moksha."

Maverick blinked. "How…how do you know his name?"

"I know all of your names. I've been watching you three ever since you were born. Saxen Maverick, the Gaganite bounty hunter. And Kathy, aka Fire Blossom, aka, Effie, the Earthian hitchhiker. But getting back to the reason you're all here…"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. A wall shot up, ensconcing the three females in a circular room. The wall began to glow, and the image of a forest and a large temple became visible.

"As I said before, I am a Goddess of Jurai. As a member of the Holy Trinity, my domain is the Past, Life, and Neutrality of Energy," Washu said. "The other two members are my sisters Tokimi who controls the Present, the Heavens, and the Negativity of Energy, and Tsunami, who controls the Future, the Sea, and Positive Energy. The three of us support the power of Jurai and guard its people. When we don't have anything better to do, that is," Washu smiled.

"And because we frequently _do_ have other things to do, we made a covenant with the Royal House of Jurai that we would send Nine Sacred Ones to govern and protect the people before the end of the ninth age. If this covenant was not met, our power would break and the people would be free to destroy themselves in the panic of chaos and anarchy. This happened about fifteen thousand years ago.

"The problem is, we've been putting off finding the Nine Sacred Ones. And since we haven't brought them to Jurai to dedicate their souls, they just keep dying in their mortal bodies and being reborn in new ones. And in about four months, the ninth age will end. That's why we need you two. That's right! You guys are have been chosen from all the life forms in the universe to be our Champions and find the Nine Sacred Ones!"

"Like hell we are," Maverick snapped.

Effie cocked her head. "Are you serious Wash—er, 'Lil Washu?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Washu replied. "Why else would I have bothered bringing you here?"

"I'm not sure, but it was a waste of your time. I have more important things to do than go on a wild goose chase for a religion that I don't even practice. My soul already belongs to Vyasa, so I can't help you anyways," the hunter continued.

"Like you're _so_ pious," the goddess rolled her eyes. "And anyways, I think I can make your efforts _very_ rewarding."

"There is nothing you can offer me—"

"Not even Vittorio?"

Maverick froze. Effie glanced at her. "Vittorio? Who's Vittorio?"

However, they both ignored her. Maverick stared hard at Washu. "How do you know about Vittorio?"

"I told you. I've been watching all three of you ever since you were born," she answered.

"…You know where he is?"

"Who is he?" Effie pressed, but still went unanswered.

"I know everything," Washu answered simply. "Do this one little thing for me, and I'll tell you where your brother is. I'll even provide the transportation if you want."

Maverick thought hard. _Vittorio…_ The image of a little boy screaming filled her mind, but she shook it away. "All right, I'll do it."

"I knew you would," Washu laughed, then looked at Effie. "And for your reward…um…well…"

"It's okay. You don't need to reward me with anything," Effie answered. "I don't have anything better to do anyways, and who knows? This could be fun. I'd be glad to help you find the Nine Sacred Ones."

"Still, I'd feel bad if you weren't getting something…well, tell you what. Once your mission is completed, you can pick your own reward, okay? Anything you want, and it's yours. Deal?" the goddess asked.

"Okay, sure," Effie shrugged. No use looking a gift horse in the mouth, right?

"What exactly is this little project going to entail anyways?" Maverick asked Washu.

"Nothing much. I'll tell you where to go, what the person looks like, where to find them, etc. All you've got to do is find them, kill them, and bring them to Jurai when you've got all Nine. And it's not like you're alone. You've got Moksha, Frank, Annabellina, and of course those people you pick up to help you get the next people—"

"Wait wait wait…back up a second," Effie asked. "_Kill?_"

"Of course! How else would they assume their divinity? And besides, if their friends and family think they're dead, it'll be easier to get them away without being missed. And they'll revive a couple days later, fit as a fiddle."

"But didn't you say that when they died before all that happened was that they were reincarnated into a new body?" Maverick recalled.

"Yeah, but this is different. Because you three are being _sent_ to kill them. The Nine will recognize the power of the Holy Trinity on you, and they'll just stay in their bodies," Washu explained.

But Effie was unconvinced. "I don't know…I'm not too cool with this whole "killing" thing…I mean, they're innocent people right?"

"Then you can leave that to Moksha and myself," Maverick said grimly, showing Effie a revolver.

"It doesn't matter who actually does the killing. But you are going to have to learn to work as a team. Pacifist or not Fire Blossom, you'll have to be there when something happens to Saxen. And if she doesn't want to hurt innocent people, Saxen, you'll have to protect her."

"No offense to you," Maverick looked at Effie. "But I have…difficulties, working in teams. I'm sure you're a nice enough person, but we barely know each other. How can we be expected to look after each other if we have no idea what each other is like?"

"I can protect myself," Effie snapped. "I can kill anyone just as easily as you can. I just won't like it. And if we're traveling together across the galaxy, I'm sure we'll end up getting to know each other, whether you like it or not."

"I see…" Washu was quiet for a moment, then suddenly the walls went down and a microphone appeared in the goddess's hand. Smiling, she started talking in a game show host voice. "And now, ladies and wolves, just to thank you for playing our game, we'd like to give you a consolation prize!"

She waved her hand to a darker part of the lab that suddenly illuminated, revealing a large silver space cruiser that made both Effie and Maverick's jaws drop and eyes widen.

"Wow…cool!" Effie cried happily.

"Amazing…I've never seen anything like it…" Maverick murmured.

"You've just won a brand new one-of-a-kind spacecraft by Washu!" she continued in the game show host voice. "The _Tsunami_ is capable of traveling at 100,000,000,000 miles a week, is armed with six energy cannons and Jurai-powered shields, easily sleeps up to fifteen, has a hangar area for up to five mecha, can be easily piloted by one person, and comes with a century's supply of food!"

"Really 'Lil Washu? The _Tsunami _is ours?" Effie grinned, running to the ship to look at it while Frank hovered behind her.

"Well, it's on loan. After all, you're going to have to go to a lot of different planets to find the Nine Sacred Ones. And because you can never rely on commercial shuttles, I figure you'd be able to work most efficiently with this baby," Washu smiled, glad to see the excitement visible on the girl's face, and even more glad to see that she had actually managed to drag impression out of Maverick.

"It's astounding, Washu," the bounty hunter admitted as she slowly approached the craft. "I've never seen anything like it. Not even Gagan has ships like this…are you sure we're qualified to pilot it?"

"Are you kidding? A child could pilot this thing!" she grinned at the wolf. "Don't worry, you should have no problems—"

"Uh…'Lil Washu?" Effie called from the opposite side of the ship. "How do you get in this thing?"

Maverick and Washu looked at each other and sighed.

"On second thought, I think you'd better handle the piloting," Washu said.

"My thoughts exactly," the hunter agreed.

The goddess brought up a holo-laptop and typed on it. Seconds later the hatch to the craft opened and they went inside. Wandering down the main corridor to the bridge, the women marveled at the sheer amount of space inside, and wondered if Washu had built another dimension into it.

"Of course," Washu replied, then winked. "And I've built in a few luxuries for you. Once you're on your way, I suggest stopping into the women's bath. Assuming you like hot springs, of course. And there are several different cabins, all more than enough to accommodate your needs…"

"Wow…this is the coolest!" Effie rejoiced.

"Yes…very cool…" Maverick agreed.

Effie stopped and stared at her. "What'd you say?"

She cocked her head. "Um…"very cool"?"

"You say "cool"?"

"Yes…"

"Huh," Effie shrugged. There was awkward silence, and the two started laughing. However, Washu's businesslike mood had returned.

"Now anyways you guys, you seriously need to get going. You've got four months to find the Nine Sacred Ones and get back to Jurai. You sure you can handle it?"

"If we can't, why did you choose us?" Effie asked.

"Point taken," Washu replied, then patted both women and Moksha on the head. "Good luck you three. I'll contact you in a couple of days on where you should be headed. Until then, try not to kill each other, okay?"

"We'll try," Maverick answered seriously, taking the pilot's seat while Effie sat back in front of a large blank computer screen, Frank at her feet.

"This thing got an in-flight movie?"

"A few. Once you're back in your dimension, take a look," Washu answered, then exited the ship. A few seconds later, her face appeared on the computer screen. "I'll be sending you to the open flight zone just outside the Mars spaceport. Countdown T-minus ten seconds…nine…eight…seven…"

"Shields engaged…" Maverick murmured as she immediately began preparing for the shift. Effie watched in surprise at the bounty hunter's adeptness at handling the ship. No doubt she had done this a few times before.

"Six…five…four…"

"Boosters set…"

"Three…two…one…"

"Pressure parameters set…"

"Shift commenced!"

"All systems go!"

Effie watched out the large bridge window as Washu and her lab melted away and were replaced with the black, starry expanse of space.


	3. Chapter 2

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All other characters belong to the people who owned them.

Chapter 2:

Exploration. Shuttleport. First Target.

**"Are we there yet?"**

"No."

"Can I drive?"

"No."

"Do you wanna-"

"No." Fire Blossom scowled and tipped her seat back as far as it would go.

"No fun. That's what you are," she picked her feet up quickly and the seat bounced back and forth. Maverick winced.

"This is a delicate piece of technology. Not playground equipment." Effie rolled her eyes and shoved another handful of pretzels into her mouth. They flew in silence until Maverick spoke again.

"Lay off the snacks…Washu said this thing was only equipped with a century's worth of food." Effie leaned forward, full mouth hanging open quite unattractively, eyes wide.

"Was that joke?"

"Yes…"

"You make jokes?"

"Yes…"

"Hmmm…" Effie leaned back in her seat again, suddenly pensive. After a few moments, Frank came to hover next to her armrest and she reached in, producing Annabellina. She flipped it open and began to read. Maverick glanced at her a few times, remembering Washu's words about not killing her. It seemed to fulfill that promise, some steps would have to be taken.

"So," she began, uneasy, "you're a pacifist."

"Yup." The other girl did not even look up.

"Why?" Effie's head jerked up and she searched Maverick's tone for any mockery, or patronization….there was none. Just simple curiosity. She shrugged.

"I dunno. I guess because if I wasn't, some serious damage could be done."

"Oh?" Maverick glanced back, arching her eyebrows. The rather skinny girl did not look like she posed a threat to anything stronger than a few bugs.

"Well, yeah. I mean, telekinesis and pyrokinesis…not the most peace-friendly combination. It like, combines the two most horrible things you can do. Play with matches and throw things inside the house." Maverick laughed and smiled. That did explain both the fire from the hands and Frank's atypical movement.

"What's up with Annabellina?"

"What's not up with her?" Maverick frowned at Effie, and the younger girl blushed, "Sorry. Habit." But she did not put forth any other information, so Maverick let it drop. It seemed the best motto in this relationship would be, 'ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies'. Besides, if she respected Effie's privacy, it would give Effie more reason to respect hers.

"You wanna go snooping?" Maverick glanced back at Effie.

"Snooping?"

"Yeah, you know…looking, discovering, exploring…"

"I know what it means," a small half-smile formed on the bounty hunter's face, "I just wasn't aware anyone actually used it in serious conversation."

"Ha. Very funny."

"I thought so," Maverick rose and turned to the wolf who was seated next to her, "Moksha, watch the controls." With what looked like a quick nod, Moksha jumped into the seat. Fire Blossom watched, first amazement, then indignant.

"The wolf gets to drive? You let the wolf drive, but not me?"

"Yes." She crossed her arms and pouted.

"So not fair."

**"Now that's impressive."** Maverick murmured, staring dazedly at a large wall filled with various guns, swords, daggers, shuriken, and other implements of pain and destruction. Fire Blossom snorted derisively.

"Not as impressive as the movies."

"How can you even fathom comparing movies to…this." She was at a loss for words.

"That database had well over a thousand movies. That is what I call impressive."

"You really are insane, aren't you?" Maverick said distractedly, not taking her eyes off the marvelous wall.

"Okay, that's enough weapony fun for you," Effie grabbed her arm and yanked as hard as she could. Not that it made a visible difference, "I wanna check out the bath."

Maverick shook her head silently, basking in the glory. Effie tugged again, putting her full weight into it. Not a budge. Finally she scowled and lifted Maverick off the ground telekinetically and floated her along behind her. The bounty hunter's furious curses echoed throughout the large corridors.

**"Tell me again why we have to stay in the spaceport?"** Fire Blossom crossed her arms and planted her feet, "Especially right after I got all nice and warm and clean. And the _Tsunami_ is only, like, big enough to fit us and several thousand of our clones." Maverick rolled her own eyes.

"I don't know how Washu plans to contact us. I thought it would be best for us to get out." She clasped Effie's wrist and dragged her along, frequently glancing back. They had left _Tsunami_ at one of the more expensive docks, but she was still worried. Even though no one seemed to pay it any attention.

"Bleh," was Effie's comment, but she brightened up considerably with the promise of pizza.

They had stopped at the first large spaceport they had reached after leaving Mars. This one was extremely busy. People pushed past the women, some more obviously alien than the others. Of course, Effie thought, glancing at a young woman whose skin had a decidedly violet cast, we are all alien to somebody. That thought made her smile. She was getting some soul-searching in on this trip after all.

They passed various shops, some advertising foods that Effie had never heard of, and some she now wished she hadn't. There were many souvenir stands for the tourists, and many travel agencies.

"I hope we get to go there," Effie smiled at a poster advertising 'Cassiopeia Gamma: Describe the Indescribable'. Maverick glanced at it and snorted.

"It's not that special, trust me."

"You've been there?"

"Yeah."

"That's not fair," Effie pouted, "I never get to go anywhere fun."

"Well…" Maverick scanned the rotating menu of one of the restaurants for any mention of pizza, "You never pay to go anywhere." Effie opened her mouth to retort, then realized there was not arguing with that statement and closed it. Finally, Maverick spotted their chosen entrée and the two entered.

It was a cozy little restaurant, with only a few tables and bright lamps. The waiter gave Moksha a worried look. Maybe not coincidentally, they were quickly seated and the pizza was brought after only a few minutes of waiting. Effie took a bite from her 'Hawaiian ham and pineapple' half, while Maverick offered Moksha a slice of sausage.

"Hello people!" Both women looked madly around at the familiar voice, but couldn't find the source, "Down here, girls." They both looked, eyes wide at the face of Washu that had appeared in the remaining pizza.

"'Lil Washu!" Effie cheered. She got a few very odd looks from fellow patrons and lowered her voice, "Why are you a pizza?" She wrinkled her nose. "How are you a pizza?" Washu opened her mouth happily but Maverick cut her off.

"Never mind. Do you have our target?" Washu looked put out for a second at the loss of an opportunity to praise her own genius, but recovered quickly.

"I sure do!" Her Cheshire Cat grin returned in full force.

"Well? Who?" Effie pressed, fingers twitching in excitement. Maverick couldn't help but notice there were some sparks coming off of them. Hopefully she wouldn't set anything important on fire. The last thing they needed was to draw vast amounts of attention to themselves.

"The God of the Hunt. Once you get back on _Tsunami_, I'll transport you to his dimension."

"Can't you give us any more details?" Maverick asked. Washu laughed just a tad nervously.

"Well, no. You see, I really haven't been keeping the closest tabs on the Nine, so I'm not really sure what he looks like at the moment or where exactly he is." Maverick sighed. She would never go after a bounty with such vague information. Male. Not a lot to work with.

"But then, how do we know? We can't really go around killing everybody in the dimension and seeing which guy comes back," Fire Blossom piped up.

"I'll be able to transport the ship within a certain radius of him. Besides, at the risk of sounding cliché…when you find him, you'll know. Well, see you two lovely ladies after you've found the first target!" The image of Washu vanished from the pizza, but Fire Blossom still prodded it several times before selecting another slice. Just in case.


	4. Chapter 3

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. Everything else belongs to other people.

Chapter 3:

Psi-Earth. Witches. Van Helsing.

After an eternity, the girls and the wolf finally made it back to the _Tsunami_. Maverick paid the docking fee, then ushered Effie and Moksha on board. She had to admit, the wolf had started acting quite a bit more like a puppy ever since the Earth girl came along. Probably because Effie never hesitated to pet him or sneak him a few pretzel sticks. Maverick could only hope he'd still be of use in a fight.

As the two took their seats, Washu's face suddenly became visible on the main computer screen.

"Well, everyone eaten and satisfied now?" she asked cheerfully.

"Yes. But please, Lil Washu, don't show up in my food again. It was just kinda…wrong…" Effie answered.

"Just being efficient," Washu shrugged. "Anyways, if you're about ready to initiate the shift…"

"Hold on a second. Where is it exactly that we're going?" Maverick pressed.

Washu brought up her laptop and began to type. "Huh. Earth, actually."

"Really?" Effie brightened. "Hey, that's no problem at all! I've been just about everywhere on Earth you can go. And a lot of places you can't." She giggled.

The goddess shook her head. "That's _your_ Earth. Beta-Earth. I'm sending you to Psi-Earth."

"Psi-Earth?"

She nodded. "Yep. There's a whole series of Earths out there. Some are in this dimension, but Psi-Earth isn't. You'll find that the geography is mostly the same, but each Earth is in a different stage of development, or has evolved under different conditions. Psi-Earth is similar to Effie's Earth, but not exactly the same. If I'm not mistaken…" a window opened up on the _Tsunami_'s screen, depicting an Earth not unlike the one they were currently about two days from. "The current time period in Psi-Earth is the mid-nineteenth century. From what I gather, it's not too different from what that time was on Beta-Earth. So if you've done your history homework…"

Effie thought, then shrugged. "Yeah, shouldn't be too hard. I think I can handle it."

"Good. I'd get a different outfit if I were you though," Washu replied, then she disappeared. However, they heard her voice again as the shift was commenced. A few seconds later, Psi-Earth rose up before them like some great blue jewel.

"Wow…pretty…" Effie stared.

"It is, isn't it?" Maverick answered nonchalantly, then blinked as the ship automatically prepared to land. "What the…?"

"Washu probably set the landing point so we'd be near this God of the Hunt guy," Effie answered. "Didn't she say we'd be in a certain radius of him?"

"Oh yeah…" the hunter recalled. Shrugging, she stood up and told Moksha to make sure everything went right. Then she turned to Effie. "Come on."

"What? Where are we going?" she asked, following Maverick down the corridor.

"Washu said you should get different clothes. Do you have anything less conspicuous?"

"This isn't conspicuous!" Effie protested, pointing to the tie-dyed coat.

"Yeah. And neither is this," Maverick motioned to the rifle on her back. "So do you have any clothing that _isn't_ bright colors?"

"Um…no…" Effie shrugged. "What? I put a little variety in my wardrobe. Unlike someone…"

"Whose clothes you'll have to borrow while we're here," the hunter finished.

"But…but…"

Maverick raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather dye your coat black? Because we could do that too…"

"No!"

"Then hold on," she replied. She pulled the copper ring off her finger and placed in the middle of the corridor. Stepping back, she raised her head and spoke clearly.

"The Password is Shiva."

With that, a bright column of light rose out of the ring, which steadily started to expand in diameter until it was about three and a half feet across. At this point, Maverick stepped forward and down into the ring, with Effie watching curiously. She tried to look into the opening, but the light was too bright. However, a few seconds later a few bundles of clothing flew out of the ring and at her. Blinking as she picked them up, Maverick climbed out of the ring, then turned to face it.

"My Business is Complete."

The light suddenly died and the ring shrunk back down. The hunter bent down to pick it up, then placed it back on her finger.

"Wow…what was that?" Effie asked.

"My closet, you could say," Maverick answered shortly.

"Closet?"

She said nothing, then turned back for the bridge. "Those clothes might be a little long on you, but I think they'll fit. Let me know if you want something else."

"Something like _my_ clothes?" Effie asked, but Maverick ignored her.

**The _Tsunami_ touched down in a large clearing in a forest,** thought where that forest was neither Effie nor Maverick could be sure. Both emerged cautiously, looking for signs of anyone who might've seen them. However, there didn't appear to be anyone around anywhere. The girls relaxed a bit.

Effie tugged at the black sweater Maverick had given her. It was indeed too long, so she had rolled the sleeves up to her wrists. After a long argument, she managed to keep her jeans and shoes, but Maverick refused to let her out of the ship with her coat on. And since the hunter didn't have any spares, Effie was stuck in the chilly dusk shivering, thankful that she had a scarf but angry that Maverick was still in her nice long heavy coat. However, Moksha pressed up against her and warmed her up a little. That made her feel better.

"So…you know where we are?" Maverick asked, sliding her rifle off her back and holding it close.

"I would guess…in a forest," Effie replied, and giggled at the sound of Maverick slapping her forehead again.

"Thanks. That's really helpful," she answered sarcastically.

"Glad to—hey, you hear that?" Effie's tone was serious now. She closed her eyes in concentration.

Maverick cocked her head and listened. "No…"

"Shh!" Effie hissed. She opened her eyes and motioned for Maverick and Moksha to follow her into the trees to the right. They walked for about five minutes, and suddenly Maverick _did_ start to hear something. It sounded like someone singing. A bunch of people, actually. A bunch of women. And the language…nothing she'd ever heard before.

Finally, they came to another clearing. A huge bonfire was burning three tall lumpy logs standing upright, and indeed there was a large group of women standing before it, all singing in that same language.

"What is it they're saying?" Maverick whispered as she crouched down next to Effie.

"I don't know…I think they're singing in German…maybe we're in Germany?" she guessed.

"Don't ask me, I've never been to Earth."

"You've never been to Earth? But you've been to all those other places…"

"Earth never has good bounties. And—"

Suddenly there was a scream and a hiss from the clearing. The two girls snapped to attention as they saw a tall, broad figure silhouetted against the blazing fire. The women glared at it with hateful eyes as one stepped forward.

"Who are you to intrude upon this most sacred holy night?" she hissed, her black hair flying wildly around her head.

"I don't know if a night with human sacrifice is really holy," the figure answered in a masculine voice.

Maverick paled. She saw that the logs in the bonfire were not longs at all, but people. Where in the thousand hells were they?

"Sacrilege!" the woman hissed. "We shall not let you defile the sacred rights of Walpurgis Night!"

With that, all of the women screamed at once and suddenly they seemed to change. Where once stood a group of females in dresses and shawl now stood scaly, feathered beings with claw-like nails and sharp teeth. With another inhuman screech, they lunged for the man by the fire.

Although he was outnumbered, he suddenly had out a strange sort of crossbow that rapidly fired at the creatures. Within ten seconds, there were arrows sticking out of the abdomens of several of them. But there still at least a dozen ready and willing to fight.

"What do we do?" Maverick whispered.

"Watch and hope they don't see us?" Effie replied hopefully.

"No," she answered, then nodded to Moksha. He obediently rose. Maverick glanced at Effie. "You gonna fight or are you gonna secure and escape route?"

"Escape route. We went over the whole pacifist thing, remember?"

"Right. Okay, see you in a bit," Maverick replied, dashing a few feet forward then ducking behind a stump. The rifle stuck out over, but unnoticed by the man and women still fighting near the fire. Aiming closely at one of the women, she fired.

The shot went through not only her target, but another one of the creatures that had foolishly jumped in front of it. Hissing, they looked up towards where Maverick stood. Still closely concealed, she fired again, taking out another one.

The man stared up towards her curiously as well, but he didn't see her. He did however see the wolf dash out of the trees and go for the throat of the nearest creature. Blood spurted everywhere.

Now with them suddenly confused by the wolf, Maverick took this opportunity to shove her rifle back and draw her revolvers. She slowly walked out of the trees, locked eyes with the man momentarily, then fired shots at two creatures.

Recovering quickly, he drew a pistol of his own and fired at another one. Maverick shoved off one creature that had suddenly fallen on her but in that quick moment she felt hands secure around her neck. Struggling to breath, she tried to pry them off, but to no avail. Something wet then rained down on her, and the grip loosened. Wiping blood off her face as the man withdrew a knife from the creature's back, she got to her feet.

"…Thanks," she answered shortly, delivering a sharp kick into the throat of another.

"Don't mention it," he replied, throwing the knife into a remaining one.

Meanwhile, Effie had dashed off through the trees, trying to figure out which was the way back to _Tsunami_ while trying as hard as possible not to be noticed by…whatever those things were. And with her mind so busy, she didn't notice when she crashed into another body.

"Ugh!" she gasped, falling back with a thump.

"Oh…oh dear…sorry about that," another voice replied. She saw a hand (a human hand) reach out to her. She took it and stood up.

"Are you all right?"

A short man with close cropped red hair dressed in a monk's habit looked at her. She cocked her head. "Um…yeah, I'm okay. You?"

He nodded, then looked down toward the bonfire where Maverick and the strange man were just finishing up with the final creatures. "Those are…not pleasant," he commented.

"No kidding. What are they?" Effie asked.

"Witches," he replied. "Celebrating Walpurgis Night with human sacrifice."

"Wha?" she blinked. "Walpurgis Night?"

"The first night of spring."

"Oh, that makes sense," Effie rolled her eyes. "Are you with him?"

"Who, Van Helsing?" the man asked. "Yes. And you're with the woman?"

"Yeah. Saxen Maverick. My names Fire Blossom, but you can call me Effie. Who're you?" she inquired.

"Carl," he blinked, surprised by her name. Not a very common one.

"Say Carl? Where exactly are we?" Effie asked. "My friend and I were uh…hunting…and we…got…lost." Lame story. Very lame.

Which is why Carl was even more confused and suspicious. "Brocken. In the Harz Mountains."

"In Germany?" she tried to remember her geography.

"Yes…"

Suddenly, Moksha appeared out of nowhere, splattered with blood but happy as could be. Grinning his canine grin, he ran to Effie and sat in front of her, waiting to be rewarded for doing such a good job.

Smiling, she patted his head. "Good work out there Moksha. You got 'em good!"

"Sure, reward him," Maverick snapped as she followed the wolf. She too was covered in blood, but did not appear nearly as good-natured about it. And behind her was the man who Carl had called Van Helsing.

Maverick glanced at the short man, then at Effie. "You make a new friend?"

"Yeah. This is Carl. And you're Van Helsing?" she looked at Carl's friend.

He nodded. "You two witch hunters?"

"No. But they had you outnumbered twenty to one. I figured we should help," Maverick replied.

"Well…uh, thanks," Van Helsing replied.

Suddenly, Effie realized something. "Whoa…you guys realized you're dressed almost exactly the same?"

"What?" Maverick blinked. But the hitchhiker was right. Both wore long leather coats, leather hats, boots, pants; they had the whole "roughness" thing down pat. The only difference was that while Maverick stuck to brown, Van Helsing wore black. He also had brown hair and a five o'clock shadow, as well as serious brown eyes.

"She's right," Carl agreed. Van Helsing rolled his eyes. Maverick looked like she was ready to kill Effie.

"Anyways, are you guys camped around here?" Effie asked. "Because it's been days since we've had any real food, and if you're willing to share…"

"We'll pay you," Maverick cut off. This convinced the two men.

They led the girls to a sheltered spot on the edge of the forest where the trees changed from oaks and maples to pines and firs. It was even colder up here. But soon a fire was built and Effie was happily sipping a cup of tea. But Maverick refused to eat or drink anything.

"So…how did you manage to get lost out here?" Van Helsing asked, looking from one girl to another.

Effie shrugged. "How didn't we get lost?"

That brought on a few confused looks, but the girl just smiled cheerfully and complemented Carl on the tea. When the fire started to die down, both men agreed to get more firewood, giving her the perfect chance to whisper over to Maverick.

"So? Which one of them is it?" she asked.

"Which one is what?" Maverick shot back.

"The God of the Hunt! Duh!"

"How do you know it's either of them?"

"Oh come on. Washu dumps us in the middle of the woods with nobody for miles and miles but a bunch of witches (who are now dead, by the way), and two guys. I'm putting my money it's on one of the two guys!"

Maverick thought. "Van Helsing. He was the one hunting down the witches. It would only make sense that he was the God of the Hunt."

Effie groaned. Leave it to Maverick to need the obvious explained to her, only to end up pointing out the even more obvious.

"So how should we kill him?" the hunter asked.

"Hey, isn't that supposed to be your job?" she replied.

"Yeah, but I won't be able to get at him with Carl around. If you can distract him…"

Effie sighed and nodded. She couldn't help but like Carl. But it had to be done.

"So when they get back from getting the firewood…"

"I'll get him away. But I'm not going to kill him!" Effie warned.

"That's fine. We should avoid unnecessary death anyways," Maverick agreed.

"You believe in unnecessary death?"

"…Yes…" Maverick rolled her eyes. "You know, it's not like I'm this dark homicidal maniac. Stop acting like it."

"Okay okay…sorry…" Effie replied. "Here they come."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Carl apologized, setting the pile of branches near the fire as Van Helsing threw his into the pit.

Effie shot one more disapproving look at Maverick, then turned away.

"Hey Carl…what's that?" she asked, pointing into the darkness. There was a thump and the something moved. A large rock, to be specific, set into motion with the help of Effie's abilities.

"I don't know…" he answered. "Maybe V—"

"Come on, let's check it out!" Effie cried, grabbing his arm and dragging him off into the darkness. When they were safely gone, Maverick looked at Van Helsing.

"So, you're with the Church?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. After this we'll be heading back to the Vatican."

"No you won't."

Van Helsing looked at her. Fire glittered in her single orange eye. "What do you mean, "no we won't"?"

She drew a revolver out of her coat. "I'm very sorry. It's nothing personal."

Before he could react, she fired. Groaning, he slumped backwards, blood pouring out of his chest. Sighing, Maverick walked over, crouched down next to him, and pressed her scarf against the hole. For a brief moment, anger glared at her from Van Helsing's brown eyes, but it soon died and they became glassy.

Effie returned about five minutes later, alone.

"Where's Carl?" Maverick asked, standing up.

"Coming back this way. We'd better get moving," she answered solemnly.

Maverick nodded in agreement, waved for Moksha to stand, and started off into the trees. Effie frowned.

"Hey, what about him?" she pointed at Van Helsing's body.

Maverick didn't even look back. "You're the one with the telepathic powers. _You_ carry him."

Muttering to herself, Effie levitated the corpse and pushed it in front of her. "I'm going to need a _long_ soak in the tub when we get back," she muttered. "A _very_ long soak."

"Me too," Maverick replied softly to herself. "Me too."


	5. Chapter 4

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All other characters belong to whoever owned them.

Chapter 4

Worry. Awakening. Conversing.

**"I don't like this,"** Fire Blossom crossed her arms.

"Really?" Maverick took another sip of coffee and shrugged, "for a romance, it's okay."

"Oh, sure. It seems okay, but then, all of a sudden, BAM!" She smacked her hand down on the armrest of her chair, "It all goes to hell."

"He'll wake up, Effie."

"But will he? How can we know?"

"Washu told us-"

"He'll come back. Sure. That's what all those psychos say. 'The voices told me they would come back'. Oh my god! We're serial killers!"

"We aren't serial killers," Maverick somehow managed to keep her cool demeanor while her non-canine partner went into hysterics.

"We're not?" She calmed down slightly, and looked hopefully at her friend.

"No," Maverick took a long swallow, "we've only killed one person. We're just murderers now. We won't be serial killers until we've got at least three."

**"I'm pretty sure it was only a forest animal, Miss-"** Carl reached the campsite only to find it empty. The fire lay smoldering…someone had stamped it out partially. The two strange women were gone, along with Van Helsing.

"Maybe he-" Carl smiled broadly at that idea but quickly shook it out of his mind. Van Helsing would never do something like that. He didn't like to have fun.

**Van Helsing lay on the cool operating table.** The metal was shining and clean, and reflected the unshaven man lying limply on top of it. He was dead. It was obvious, even to a casual observer. His chest did not rise and fall. His face did not so much as twitch. And there was a bullet hole through his heart. But, although he was clearly dead, he was not pallid, as the dead usually are. He looked healthy and strong. Except that he was dead.

But then, in a split second, he was not dead. His eyes flashed open, he gave a great shuddering gasp and he ceased to be dead.

He sat up slowly. Where was he? He felt a chill and looked down. Someone had removed his jacket and shirt. There it was. Gingerly, he fingered the deformed flesh around the hole where the bullet had entered. It was sore to the touch, but it did not bleed. Feeling the burn of eyes on his back, he turned cautiously.

"You have, like the sexiest muscles I have ever seen," she said solemnly.

"Uh…thanks…" he looked around nervously. He was in some strangely silvery room, like nothing he had seen before. There were many metal instruments on various tables. Turning back to the girl, who was still watching him stoically, he strived valiantly to recall who she was.

"I'm really glad you finally got up. I was afraid you were actually dead," she told him. It jogged his memory. She was the friend of the woman who killed him. Or, he thought had killed him. He really wasn't sure what was going on. But she was not good news. That much he was sure of.

"You are witches…." He growled, drawing a knife out of his boot. He should have suspected as much. Fooling him with mock heroics. Lulling him into a false sense of security so they could spring their wicked trap. Effie chuckled nervously.

"No, really not. Please put that away." Hopping off the table he advanced on her, knife at the ready.

"I'm really not comfortable with violence," she tried again to reason with him, but with no result. She looked around frantically then sighed.

"I am a pacifist," she began, and Van Helsing found himself held in place by some kind of invisible force. He strained against it, but to no avail. Effie began to pace around the room, as though she was debating, "I have always believed there is a non-violent answer to every problem. Fighting has never been the intelligent solution. However…" his knife was ripped out of his hand and embedded itself into the wall, "When some people are so pig-headed that violence is the only answer…" she stepped so she was only a few inches away from him and held up her hand. A tiny flame danced above each finger. Her eyes had gone almost completely gold, "I will not run and hide like a screaming little girl. Okay?"

He shut his eyes and turned his head, expecting her to burn him. She reached out as though she did indeed mean to char his face, but at the last minute, her hand relaxed and the flames disappeared. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder and he opened his eyes in surprise. Her eyes which had been so intimidating a moment ago were now their usual soft brown. She removed her hand and smiled at him.

"Can I call you Vanmeister?"

"No…"

"How about Vanny?"

"No…"  
"What about…" she ran her tongue over her lips, thinking hard, "Elsie?"

"Elsie?" He arched his eyebrows.

"You know, from Helsing."

"You can call me Van Helsing, or just Van," he decided. Fire Blossom shook her head.

"You know, either you and Saxie were separated at birth," she glanced over his shoulder where the bounty hunter stood, "or…maybe you're soul mates."

**"I could have handled him."**

"I know," Effie rifled through the freezer.

"So why didn't you let me?"

"It was a demonstration."

"For who?"

Finally discovering an orange Popsicle, the hitchhiker put it into her mouth and smiled.

**Fire Blossom stood in her cabin.** She was both silent and alone, a rarity for the very sociable girl. Washu had been right when she said they would find everything suited them. Her cabin was perfect. Three of the walls, and the ceiling were made of some transparent material. She could see the stars, and watch space rush past. It was exhilarating. Becoming one with the universe was almost inevitable in a room like this.

Someone knocked on the door. With a slight twitch of her hand, the release button pressed itself and the door opened. It was Van Helsing. She did not turn away from the beautiful expanse in front of her.

"Fire Blossom?"

"Effie, please," she murmured.

"Effie, then," he looked very uncomfortable and at last she turned away and smiled at him.

"Saxie threatened to gut you if you didn't apologize, right?"

"I normally don't follow orders," he smiled slightly, "but Mistress Maverick is very…convincing. I also seem to be captive on your strange-"

"You're not a captive," Effie said quickly, cutting him off, "that would be totally anti-liberty and all that. Completely dictator. We're not like that."

"You did kill me," he pointed out, "And bring me aboard this…ship."

"It's nothing personal," she offered with a shrug, "It's our mission, not to mention your destiny."

"Destiny," he grumbled, coming to stand next to her, "I've had quite enough destiny to last me an eternity."

"It's not so bad. Then again, I haven't got one I know of so, not the best source. All I know is, you can't escape it. You were born God of the Hunt. Can't change it."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Very true."

"Effie," he turned partway towards her, "if you truly are not a witch, where do your powers come from?"

"I'm Connected."

"But what does that mean."

"It means what it means."

"But what?"

"The meaning." He growled in frustration and she smiled sadly, "I'd like to tell you, but…I won't. All I'll say is, no, I'm not a witch, and I wasn't born with these powers. Is that good for now?"

"I suppose," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"That's good, cause it's all you're getting," she batted his arm playfully, "Now that we're through with that, let's talk about something important…"

**Saxen was in her own cabin, reading.** She turned a dusty page and absentmindedly patted Moksha, who was lying next to the chair she sat in. Her tranquil atmosphere was shattered by a piercing shriek. She stood up immediately.

"Effie."


	6. Chapter 5

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 5:

Discussion. Musings. Storytelling.

**"Goddamn pacifist…why the hell can't she look after herself properly?"** Saxen grumbled as she dashed down the corridor in the direction of Fire Blossom's scream. Moksha ran almost happily at her heels. A good sign; a sign there wasn't _too_ much danger. Still…best not to take chances. As she skidded around a corner, Maverick pulled a revolver out of her coat and sprinted towards Effie's cabin. There was a bright light glowing from between the cracks in the door.

When the door wouldn't open, she stepped back, ran towards it, and kicked it down. Or, _would've_ kicked it down, had the door not decided to open on its own accord. Gasping, Maverick fell forward. Her eyes widened as she saw open space beneath her. But before she could tumble into the vast emptiness, a strong arm caught her around the shoulders and steadied her.

"Wow…aren't we coordinated?" A nasal voice asked.

Maverick blinked and looked around for the speaker. "Washu?" Her eyes found Effie instead, who was staring in shock at the floor mirror that was…floating…in…space? Shaking her head, the bounty hunter realized that the image of space was just an illusion; like a video wallpaper. But the hitchhiker didn't seem to notice. Because Washu was currently in the place her reflection should've been.

"First you have to show up in my food, now my mirror?!?!?!?!?!?!" she gasped. "Is nothing sacred?!?!?!?!"

The genius laughed. "What can I say? There's a little sadistic streak in me. But anyways…it's good to see that you two got a hold of our God of the Hunt. Now if only Saxen would restrain herself a little…"

"What—" she colored as soon as she realized the "strong arm" belonged to none other than Van Helsing. Silently, with as much dignity possible, she straightened and stepped away from bemused vampire slayer. Effie giggled madly.

"So then would you mind explaining who you are?" Van Helsing asked, ignoring Maverick.

"But of course! I am Washu! Goddess of Jurai and the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" Washu grinned. "And you can call me 'Lil Washu. And you would be Gabriel Van Helsing, the man who killed Dracula, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde, several other minor obnoxious critters, and when it comes down to it, there really isn't anybody else who _could_ be the God of the Hunt."

"Um…all right…'Lil Washu…" he raised an eyebrow. "And my next question is: why are you all talking about this "God of the Hunt"? You don't seriously think…"

"Of course not. I _know_. I chose you after all. Made you what you were," Washu tapped her chin in thought, then her eyes lit up. "So, that kind of makes me your mom! Not biologically of course, but…"

"I don't think that's helping Washu," Effie whispered and pointed her thumb at Van Helsing, who was still staring at her uncomprehendingly.

She shrugged. "Well, we don't need him _right_ now after all. But by the time you've got all nine, he'd better have this denial dealt with."

"Nine? You mean there are more?" he asked.

"Yep. And as far as that goes ladies, no I don't have the next target for you. But when I do," Washu pointed at Van Helsing, "_You'd_ better make yourself useful! Or we are going to have to have a long talk about responsibility!"

"Yeah!" Effie piped up.

Maverick glared at her. "Will you be quiet?"

"Well, that's about it. Now, if there's any other questions, ask Fire Blossom or Saxen. And if they can't answer, well, then you're pretty much screwed unless you can wait for my next call!" she waved at them. "See ya!"

The mirror immediately lit up then faded back to Effie's reflection.

"That was…interesting…" Effie commented. Saxen rolled her eyes.

"I'm going back to my room."

**While Effie's cabin was ethereal and beautiful,** Saxen's was sober and plain. It had a double bed set into the floor, a closet, a low futon, and a desk. The light sources were four black metal floor lamps in each corner. The only decoration was a large map of the Orion galaxy on the wall above the desk.

Silently, the bounty hunter removed her ever-present coat and hat. Beneath, she wore long baggy black pants and a tight brown tank top. She reached up and touched the copper pendant hanging around her neck. It was in the shape of a wolf's head, the Gaganite symbol of strength.

She was aware of a knock on her door. Pausing to wonder if she should be caught dressed like she was, she shook her head and untied her shoulder length maroon braid.

"Come in," she called.

Van Helsing stepped inside. His eyes went wide at the sight of her top...or perhaps it was the sight of her skin. Effie did say that Earth women wore more clothing in the nineteenth century.

"Can I help you?" she asked, brushing a hair back, trying to forget the falling incident in Effie's cabin.

"Washu said I should come to you with any other questions. I tried to get something out of Fire Blossom, but…"

"Let me guess. She wasn't any help," Maverick finished for him.

He nodded.

She shrugged and turned on a light. As it shone on her arms, Van Helsing saw that they were covered in tattoos of black flames, from her wrists to her shoulders. But there was some kind of strange tint to them; something that made them actually seem to flicker in the dim light of the cabin.

"So what's the question?"

"I want to know more about that woman. Washu," he said.

Saxen shrugged again. "There isn't much either of us know. We only met her a couple days ago ourselves. But from what I gather, she's obnoxiously confident, and what's worse is that she has every right to be. I mean, she built this ship. And she's a goddess. And yet…"

"What?"

"I don't know. She just rubs me the wrong way. I think Effie likes her though," Maverick answered.

"You and Effie have known each other a long time then," Van Helsing continued.

She shook her head. "No. I met her when I met Washu."

He blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes. Part of me can't stand her either. But then another part of me…well…" she touched the desk thoughtfully. "A part of me really, really likes her. Go figure."

"Do you know anything about her power?"

"No. We have a "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy. It's better if we both keep our secrets."

Van Helsing stared at her. "You have secrets?"

"Several. If that's all…" she pulled a towel out of the closet. "I'm going to take a shower."

**On her way to the shower,** Maverick noticed a large glass doorway. Frowning, she walked over to it and peered at the other side. It was dark, and she couldn't see. Curiosity overcoming her, she opened the door and went inside.

Immediately, the room was illuminated, and she was shocked at its size. It was mostly empty, and nearly two stories tall. Around the top there was a balcony, and on the floor were several different markings. But what caught the hunter's eye was the wall to her left. The wall that was actually a gun cabinet, filled with every kind of firearm ever created.

Eyes widened in interest, she dropped the towel and walked to it. Her eyes scanned over the rifles, pistols, tommy guns, and others she couldn't even name. Almost in a trance, she reached out and pulled out a Saturn Magnum automatic. As she did, she felt a change come into the atmosphere of the room. It was more electric, more tense.

Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room. Three words appeared on it.

CHOOSE TARGET PROGRAM

Maverick stared at it as several little options popped up beneath it. _Target practice. Sharp shooting. Gun fighting._ With a gasp, she realized the large, empty room was a shooting range. But how to access a program?

_Voice activation_ she thought.

"Gun fighting."

The screen flashed and changed.

CHOOSE LEVEL.

They were numbered from one to ten. But which was the highest level? She threw it to chance.

"Level Ten."

The screen flashed a final time.

COMMENCE PROGRAM?

"Commence."

The room went dark again, and several more holographs opened up. But this time, it wasn't just a screen with words. No, these were people. All races of people. Humans, Gaganites, Nibirans, Dtorcas, and several others. And all were armed, and aiming for her.

A grin spread across her face as her reflexes kicked in. She ducked and spun, not bothering to wonder what would happen if one of the holographs shot her. Firing at a human man of about twenty, she was surprised at the thud that shook the ground and air as he fell. Quickly, she bent down and touched him. He wasn't bleeding, but she was shocked to realized that he was _real_. But there wasn't time to dwell on this, because several more shots broke the air around her.

Meanwhile, Effie was wandering down the hall in search of entertainment. She had just eaten a meal of pretzel sticks, chocolate, and a can of soda with too much caffeine to be legal, so the hyperactivity was just about to kick in. And from the video game sounds coming from the room at the end of the corridor, she was starting to think she'd be able to find an outlet.

But when she opened the door, it wasn't a video game she found. She was looking down from a balcony at what _looked_ like a video game, but couldn't possibly be one. Because Maverick was the one fighting down there.

And from the looks of it, she was winning. There were about six people down there, all armed. But the bounty hunter was slowly picking them off, one by one, while avoiding their own volleys with shocking agility. It was like watching someone try to squish a cockroach. No matter how hard her enemies tried to squish her, there she was. With a gun. Effie made a mental note to keep the cockroach analogy to herself.

A few minutes later, the room suddenly lit up. The people disappeared, and Saxen was left alone, standing sweaty in the middle of the floor.

"Whoa…that was cool! Despite the fact you were using blatant violence on innocent people, which is sick and wrong! Even if they aren't real!" Effie called, waving down from the balcony.

Maverick looked up and raised an eyebrow as Effie ran down the staircase to the floor. "You were watching me?"

"Uh-huh. I didn't know you were so fast. How'd you do that?"

She shrugged. "Practice. "Never forgo an opportunity to better yourself."

Effie's face became serious. "That's good advice."

"I know."

"Who told it to you?"

Maverick wandered back to the gun case and replaced the Magnum. She then walked to a water dispenser next to it and filled a paper cup. Swallowing, she didn't bother to look back at Effie. "The smartest man I ever met."

"What was his name?"

"…Algonkian."

"Who was he?"

She filled another cup. "The man who taught me everything I know. How to fight, how to pilot, how to shoot, how to be a bounty hunter." She grinned slightly. "All for the one low price of my virginity."

Effie blushed slightly. She made another mental note: Be careful about asking questions about Saxie's past.


	7. Chapter 6

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 6

Past. Names. Egypt.

**"If you asked, I'm sure Washu would stop in our dimension for a little while."** Effie looked up in surprise.

"Why would we want to do that?"

"Well…you never told your family where you were going so…" she trailed off at the suddenly blank look on her partner's face.

"I don't tell my family anything."

"Oh." Awkward silence filled the cabin. Van Helsing glanced between the two women and sighed. He didn't have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy with either of them, so he was going to ask his questions. Whether they liked it or not.

"Why not?"

"Why would I?"

"They're your family," he sounded stricken. She turned in the seat and stared back at him.

"So?"

"You should love your family. Take it from someone who doesn't have that option." Effie was going to give him another non-answer, but the pained look he was trying to conceal made her stop.

"I wasn't the one who stopped loving." Saxen stopped pretending she couldn't hear them and glanced back. She couldn't help it, she wondered about Effie's past. And if she wasn't going to ask, she might as well listen if someone else did.

"What does that mean?" Van Helsing was getting frustrated. Honestly, you just had to pry every tiny detail out of this girl.

"We'll say that my family wasn't happy with a choice I made."

"But what-"

"I don't wanna talk anymore."

**"What kind of a name is Fire Blossom?"** Van Helsing took one of the pretzels Effie offered him and leaned back into the chair.

"What kind of a name is Gabriel?" She shot him an exceedingly impish grin and he smiled slightly, "But seriously, did you really kill Dracula and all that other stuff Lil' Washu said?"

"I did."

"Cool."

"But back to my question," Van tried to bring the conversation back, but Effie firmly resisted.

"I should call you Gabby."

"I think not."

"Effie, Saxie and Gabby. It's cute."

"I don't want to be cute."

"But you're just so muscular and adorable! And stubbly." He rubbed his chin almost self-consciously. "But adorable stubbly," Effie reassured him, not doing a very good job of it.

**"Pickles are green."**

"Effie," Maverick closed her eyes and shook her head _why me?_ "Stop messing with the computer."

"But it's fun, Saxie!" She typed rapidly.

"Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are green. Pickles are-"

"Enough!" She slammed her hand onto the keyboard, which caused the dancing banana on the screen to die a very painful, pixilated death.

"Party pooper," Effie grumbled, crossing her arms. Maverick ignored her.

"She is, isn't she?" They all whirled around, searching for the source of Washu's voice. Finally they found it. This time she was spread across various keys on the keyboard.

"Lil Washu…you really have to find a more normal way to contact us," Effie sighed.

"But it's so much fun to freak you guys out!" Washu cried cheerfully. The keys her mouth was on moved up and down when she spoke, "Besides, I've found the new target! It's the Goddess of Majick, and she's on another Earth. Go figure."

"Another Earth…" Effie smiled slightly, "How much like mine is this one, Washu?"

"It's about half and half. The time period is extremely similar to your twenty-first century, but there are lots of things here that don't exist in your world."

"Like what?" Effie began, but Washu had already initiated the jump. In a few seconds, they were in another dimension.

**"This is…sandy."** And it was. They stared around their surroundings. There was a lot of sand. A whole lot of sand. It was also very dark, which may have been a blessing in disguise, because or else it would have been unbearable hot. But at the moment, it was annoying. Because all they could see was sand.

"We should pick a direction and walk."

"And get lost in the desert? Great plan."

"Well, excuse me Ms. Bossy Boots."

"Don't call me that."

"What about you Mr. Sacred One," Effie turned on Van Helsing, "Don't you have some kind of homing device or something?"

"What?"

"He doesn't know what that is, genius."

"You think up a better plan."

"Have the little sheep strayed from the flock?" They turned sharply at the soft voice. It was a young woman with long dark hair and large, distant eyes. From the sound of her voice, she was British. Her dress resembled a lacy white nightgown, and she wore a large floppy hat.

"Oh, umm, yeah. Can you point us in a direction? Any direction…" She smiled slightly.

"Little lost lambs, so far. So far away from all that beeps and whirs. Beep and whir, beep and whir," she twirled her hands and swayed back and forth to some silent song, "a lovely melody, but not for the frightened lambs. There shall be no raspberry tart for those who get out of line."

The three of them stared at each other, then back at her. There was something seriously wrong with this one. But…she was the only person in sight. Could she be the second Sacred One?

"I saw it," her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "I saw all of you and your great and lofty quest. Knights on horses, covered in blood. I can see the blood on you," she turned to Maverick, "Blood dripping from your hands, and all in his name. All for him."

"Shut up," Maverick growled. The woman laughed, a high trill, then turned to Effie.

"And you. I can see it all, all of you, all the parts no one can find. I see the spark that blazes inside. But then, poof!" She pretended to blow out a flame, "The candle's out and no one has a spare match to light it up again." Effie stared at her, but the woman didn't seem to notice. She moved right on to Van Helsing.

"You're different. You've seen so much, but so little is in your head. It's chock full of lovely trinkets, but none for you. You're a naughty boy. Tsk tsk. Since you're so naughty…" her face contorted and changed. Sharp ridges formed on her forehead over blazing yellow eyes, with long fangs protruding from her mouth, "I think I'll eat you first."

"Get back!" Van Helsing shouted, leaping away himself, "I think she's this world's version of a vampire!"

"Vampires?! You think Washu could have mentioned there would be vampires!" Effie squeaked, hiding behind Maverick, who had drawn her pistols.

"She did say there were a lot things here that don't exist in our world," Maverick shrugged.

"But vampires?" Effie wailed, "Vampires are kind of an exception to the rule! Are they like the stories, Van?"

"Pretty much," Van Helsing grunted, throwing the woman backwards, "Why?"

"Well, ahh…"

"Spit it out!" Maverick aimed.

"How do we kill her without turning her into dust?"

It was a good question. Van Helsing paused for a moment. But it was a moment too long. The woman grabbed him and shoved him to the ground. She settled herself on top of his chest, so that his air was restricted. He couldn't move.

"Don't worry dearie, it doesn't hurt after a bit. Maybe I'll even let you be my new knight," she cooed, stroking his cheek with her talon like nails. Maverick shouted and shot. The woman did not even seem to notice.

"You can't kill a vampire with a gun!" Effie squealed. Maverick rolled her eyes. Fine time to let her in on all the vampire rules. The woman was leaning in for Van Helsing's throat. Effie shifted her weight from foot to foot, then sighed. She sprinted forward, and pulled something out of the pocket of her trench coat. She pressed it against the back of the woman's neck.

The vampire collapsed and, panting, Van pulled himself to his feet.

"What did you do?" He asked wonderingly. Effie held up a small plastic box.

"How to kill someone with a Tic-Tac container. Duh…don't you ever watch TV?" He frowned at her and she laughed, somewhat embarrassed, "No, I guess not, huh?"

"Is she dead then?" Maverick nudged her with a boot. She didn't move.

"I don't think so," Effie was suddenly serious, "Since she's not technically alive, I think it only knocked her out. But, I think it's enough to get her resurrected."

"That's…good." Van Helsing was still catching his breath. He rubbed his neck and winced. Just the thought…it was too horrible to contemplate for too long. To be a vampire. Killing innocents for your own survival. _Killing innocents…_


	8. Chapter 7

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All others belong to other people.

Please bear with Nyneve's attempts to write a Buffy the Vampire Slayer character. She will try her very hardest.

Chapter 7:

Confusion. Ravana. Showdown.

** "So…who is she?" **Maverick asked as she, Effie, and Van Helsing stared at the sleeping vampire. They had managed to get her back onto the _Tsunami_ with little trouble. However, considering the fact she had tried to "eat" Van Helsing (as Maverick so blatantly phrased it; Effie and the hunter in question preferred the term "drink the blood of"), none of them were standing very close to her. Just as a precaution.

"How should I know?" Effie answered. "I just killed her. Er, sort of."

"Washu said she was the Goddess of Majick," Van Helsing pointed out.

"Good lot of help that does."

"Is the she-wolf angry?" a soft voice asked. The three looked over to the hospital bed where the vampire was now sitting up.

"Oh, you're awake. Um, hi," Effie said. "How are you feeling?"

"Lovely. As though I have eaten all I can, and danced for the stars until I fell asleep."

Maverick raised an eyebrow and glanced at Van Helsing. "Psycho…"

"Be nice!" Effie scolded, then looked back to the woman. "So anyways…what's your name? I'm Fire Blossom, but you can call me Effie, this is Saxie—"

"Saxen Maverick," she corrected.

"—And Van Helsing, or just Van."

"And all three wear the sheep's wool. The vixen, the she-wolf, and the hunter. All hungry, all wanting the lamb's blood, all—"

"Look, cut the crap and tell us your name, okay?" Maverick snapped.

"Drusilla."

"Thank you."

Effie looked at the bounty hunter. "What's _your_ problem?"

She shrugged. "I thought you were annoying. Next to her, you're a mother's dream." And with that, she walked out.

Drusilla giggled. "Off to eat the red berries, yes?"

Van Helsing looked at the hitchhiker. "Do you think it's contagious?"

"I _reeeeeeeeeeeeeally_ hope not."

He looked at the vampire warily. "So…do you understand why you're here?"

"The great quest, yes," she replied impatiently. "A naughty game, but a lovely time. We shall all play. But who will win? Who will win? The she-wolf? The devil boy? The little vixen with the dying sparks?"

"Okay, okay. So long as you don't try to eat us."

Drusilla only giggled some more.

**"So," **Effie asked as she walked to the bridge where Maverick sat in the pilot's seat drinking a thermos of coffee. "Any word from Washu yet?"

She shook her head. "No. And it's been almost a day since we found the crazy girl."

"Her name's Dru."

"And she's crazy."

"Your point?"

"How are she and Van Helsing getting on?"

Effie frowned. "Okay as far as I know. Why?"

Maverick shrugged. "Well you know how it goes…she's a vampire, he's a vampire hunter…you'd think there would be a little friction."

"I don't think either of them are really what they were before," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they're different."

"Different how?"

"Not the same."

Maverick gritted her teeth and took another sip of coffee. "You're quite aggravating, you know that?"

"Mm-hm," she answered nonchalantly, sitting back in her own chair. Moksha padded in, and sat down next to her. Smiling, she patted his head and scratched his ears. "So, speaking of our God of the Hunt…"

"Yeah?"

Something sparkled in Fire Blossom's eyes. "You like him?"

Saxen spun around and stared oddly at her. "What? Why would you think that?"

"I didn't say I did. I'm just wondering if you do," she grinned slightly. "You know…he's really hot with his shirt off."

She wasn't sure, but she could've sworn Saxen's face had gone the slightest shade of red.

"Of course…" she went on. "If you're not interested, I might decide to make a move myself."

"_What?_ Effie, he's like…five or six years older than you!"

"So?"

"It's just kind of disturbing. Date someone your own age. Which would be…?"

Effie blinked, and realized they had never actually mentioned each other's ages. Although it wasn't hard to guess. "I'm eighteen. My birthday's in July. How old are you?"

"Twenty. I'll be twenty-one in a month."

"Really? Hey, if we're still on this mission, we should have a party for you!" Fire Blossom suggested.

Maverick frowned. "I don't do parties."

"Oh come on! It'll be fun! We can have cake, and ice cream, and karaoke, and—"

"Look, with any luck, this will be over by then, and we can all go back to our old lives," she cut off.

"And won't that be fun?" Effie muttered.

Suddenly, the screen in the front of the bridge came down, flashing the words INCOMING TRANSMISSION. Saxen immediately set to work typing on the keyboard. Washu's face appeared on the screen.

"Wow…this is unorthodox…for you anyways," Effie commented. "Hey, did you know we found your Goddess of Majick?"

But Washu ignored her. "Saxen, we've got an emergency."

"What is it?"

"I've found the God of Death."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Fire Blossom frowned.

"Not this time. As it turns out, he's a soldier. In a war. You two have to act fast. I've spoken with Tsunami, and she says that she has seen him dying in battle within the next two days," Washu explained.

"But why does that matter? You said that when one of the Sacred Ones dies, they're just reincarnated into a new body," Maverick pointed out.

"Exactly. But what good is an infant God of Death going to do us? He won't be able to use his powers, and we don't have time for him to grow up. You need to get to his world and make sure that _you_ are the ones that kill him, got it? You can come back for the Goddess of Majick later. Right now, I'm sending you to Delta-Earth," Washu said.

"But we've got—"

Effie didn't get to finish, because Washu had disappeared and the shift was initiated.

Moments later, Van Helsing walked into the bridge, Dru in tow. "Time to look for someone else?" he asked.

But before anyone could answer, the ship was suddenly shaken by something.

"What in the thousand hells?" Maverick whispered. "You guys take a seat. Now!"

"The little boys play rough, don't they?" Dru commented. "Mother hen lets them scratch all they please, all they please. But none can find enough seed to be full. Perhaps they must eat each other."

"Shut up!" Maverick snapped. Another tremor rocked _Tsunami_.

"Saxie?" Fire Blossom asked uncertainly. "What's going on?"

"Washu said the God of Death was a soldier in a war. So logically, she sends us into the middle of a Vyasa-damned battlefield!" she snapped. She typed a few orders into the computer, and suddenly the front panels of the bridge pulled away to reveal the darkness of space. But it wasn't as dark as usual. All around, mobile suits and battleship were fighting each other. And every now and then, a stray beam or shot would come their way.

"Okay, let's see. Well, at least we've got a combat system, right guys?" Saxen asked, looking at the others. Effie looked upset, Van Helsing looked confused, and Dru appeared to be smiling at absolutely nothing.

Swallowing her last mouthful of coffee, Saxen took a deep breath. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. Effie, are you any good at setting up shields?"

"I don't know. I've never tried."

"Okay, you're going to learn. You sit over here. Drusilla, you too. And don't talk please."

The two women climbed down the stairs in front of the pilot's seat and sat in two chairs in the very front.

"Effie, I want you to go through everything on this list and click "ENGAGE" okay?"

"No problem," she replied confidently.

"And you," she turned to Drusilla. "Keep an eye on the power levels," she pointed at a little gauge on the screen. "Let me know when it starts changing colors, all right?"

"Colors like—"

"Yeah, good," she climbed back up the stairs to Van Helsing. "And you are going to be in charge of evasion. Ever drive a ship?"

"What kind of ship?"

"Whatever kind they had in your time."

"No. But I've seen it done."

"Okay, they use a wheel or something, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, instead of a wheel, you're going to use this," she put a joystick in his hands. "Go forward for forward, back for back, right for right, left for left, push down to go down, and pull up to go up. Make sure we don't get hit. Got it?"

"Yeah, but what about you?" he asked.

"I'll shoot 'em down."

"Wait a minute Saxie!" Effie cried. "We shouldn't be killing anyone but the God of Death!"

"This is war, Effie. The only rule is to get them before they get us," Maverick said coldly.

"Still—"

"The she-wolf enjoys the taste of blood on her muzzle. And foxes bleed well too," Dru pointed out. "Be sly, little fox. Be clever."

"Hmph," Effie pouted.

The first move Saxen made was to shoot down three mobile suits one after another. Although they were not unfamiliar to her, she had never seen any in this particular style anymore. The models were all different, but the colors were uniform. However, she did notice a couple of original ones. Mostly white, with varying armor colors. She didn't target anyone in particular; just those that were close and acting aggressively towards the _Tsunami_.

Ten minutes later, another transmission came in.

"Saxen!" Van Helsing called.

"Effie, accept the transmission," she ordered.

"Uh…'kay," she said. After a little fumbling, the face of a young man filled the screen.

"Hey there!" he grinned. He was about Effie's age, maybe a little younger, with indigo eyes and long brown hair that appeared to be pulled back in a braid. He wore an old-fashioned flight suit and appeared to be in a good mood.

"Hi," Effie replied. "Who are you?"

"Pilot of one of those mobile suits out there," he answered. "Since I don't know whose side you're on, I won't tell you my name, but I will tell you I'm in the Gundam Deathscythe."

"That's nice," Maverick snapped. "What do you want?"

"Geez, someone's in a bad mood," he teased. "I want to know who you're with. You've shot down three of those MD, but that doesn't mean anything, does it?"

"We're not on anybody's side. Saxie's just making sure we don't get killed," Effie explained.

The pilot looked thoughtfully at her, trying to decide if he believed the story or not. "Hm. Well, I guess that's okay. That's a hell of a ship you've got there. Do me a favor and don't use it on us."

"Tell you what," Maverick said. "You don't shoot us, we won't shoot you."

"Deal. Maybe after this we can get to know each other better," he winked at her, then the screen went black.

The battle waged on.

**"That's the last one," **Van Helsing said.

"Good," Saxen replied, and leaned back in her seat panting. Effie ran up the stairs.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired," she answered. "You guys all right?"

"Ever so much fun. A lovely dance for the little lost boys. They like the song played upon bones and written in blood," Dru said.

Van Helsing looked at her and shrugged. "What do you suppose happened to the boy?"

"The one who contacted us? I don't really give a damn," Maverick answered.

On cue, another transmission came in. She groaned and accepted it. But this time, it was a different boy. A blonder, paler one, with large blue eyes, dressed in a similar old flight suit.

"Hello? Is everyone on board all right?" he asked.

"Yep," Effie replied. "Just fine. You a friend of that other pilot's?"

He nodded. "Yes. My name is Quatre."

"You're also a mobile suit pilot?" Maverick asked.

"Mm-hm. We wanted to thank you for your help," Quatre said.

"We weren't—"

"Oh, it was no problem," Effie cut off. "Really, don't worry about it."

"We were wondering if we could meet with you on board your vessel," he continued. "No one has any information on it's make or origin, and if you're willing to answer a couple of questions—"

"Who's "we"?" Saxen asked.

"The other Gundam pilots and myself. There are five of us in all."

"Can we trust that you mean us no harm?"

"At the moment, yes."

She looked at the others. Effie nodded, Van Helsing gave her an approving look. She didn't bother with Dru.

"All right. You have permission to board."

"Thank you. See you shortly," Quatre finished, and the transmission ended.

Effie stood up and walked to the door. "Good move Saxie. One of them has _got _to be the God of Death."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it."

** "Yo! Remember me?"** the braided boy asked as he entered the _Tsunami_.

"Yeah!" Effie replied, sharing his enthusiasm. "Are these your friends?"

"Yep. This is Heero Yuy," he pointed to a thin, dour faced young man with piercing cerulean eyes and wild brown hair. "Trowa Barton," a tall boy with long auburn bangs that covered half his face. "Chang Wufei" a Chinese pilot who appeared to be annoyed at something. "And of course you already met Quatre Raberba Winner. And I'm Duo; Duo Maxwell."

"Saxen Maverick," Saxen introduced. "This is Fire Blossom, Van Helsing, and Dru. Our vessel is the _Tsunami._"

"Colonial?"

"No. Juraian," Effie answered.

"Juraian?" Duo frowned.

"An independent company. This is just a prototype. We were testing the combat systems when the battle broke out. The only option was to fight back," Maverick said quickly.

"Really," Heero said, not believing a word she said.

"And you five…which side are you on?" she inquired.

Duo smiled. "Don't worry. We're the good guys."

"How very strange you are. A devil that fights in the name of a god that does not exist?" Dru asked.

They expected him to make some sort of "is she crazy" remark, but he didn't. Instead, he merely leaned back against the wall in a devil-may-care slouch.

"I'm no devil, baby. I'm Shinigami, God of Death."

The four froze. Even Dru and Van Helsing could feel it. Duo was the one; the God of Death.

"An arrogant name," Saxen said. "Do you truly think you deserve it?"

"Anyone who sees me dies. With the exception of beautiful women," he smiled at Effie, who giggled amusedly.

"Do you think your abilities could back that claim up?" Maverick continued seriously.

"If you wanna fight me," he smirked. "That's just fine. But don't you think a battle between MS is more fair than fighting against this thing?"

"And who says I'm unprepared?" she asked, turning away and walking down the corridor towards the hangars.

"Oh my…" Quatre said.

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Can't just keep your mouth shut, can you Maxwell?"

"Aw, this'll be no sweat. She's probably got a Taurus or something. Nothing too difficult."

"Um…Duo? You'd better go get ready to fight. And the rest of you…" Effie thought hard. "Um…well…"

Van Helsing put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll handle them. You go after Maverick," he whispered. She sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, okay. You guys stay with Van," Effie said, following Saxen down the corridor.

"Perplexing. Black and Red. Black and Red and Brown, all want to dance, but there is no music. Perplexing," Dru said.

**"Saxie! **What are you doing?" Effie asked as the bounty hunter entered the empty mecha hangar.

"Killing him. What else?" she asked.

"But how? Don't tell me you've got a mobile suit stashed away somewhere…"

"I don't," Maverick answered simply, pulling off her ring and putting it in the middle of the hangar. "I have a Ravana."

"A _what?_"

Her question was answered as the ring grew again and the light spewed out. Maverick looked back at her. "Stand by the wall, I don't want you to get hurt," she said, then climbed down into the hole. Effie hastily backed up and stared as the ring grew even more. After a minute, it was nearly fifty feet in diameter. And something was rising out of it.

It was a mobile suit. Well, a similar premise. A large, humanoid robot, but rather than being angular and sharply colored, it was compact and a camouflage of black, brown, and tan. It held a huge rifle of some sort, and a beam saber hung at its "hip".

"Ravana?" Fire Blossom mused.

"Effie," Saxen's voice spoke out through speakers from somewhere. "Go back to the bridge so I can stay in contact with you. When you get there, open the hangar. Then be ready to come out and get him when he's dead."

She nodded, then turned and ran for the bridge.

In the cockpit, Maverick took a deep breath and waited for the door to open. When it did, she jetted out into space.

About twenty feet from where the _Tsunami _idled, Duo waited in what was obviously Deathscythe. A black-cloaked mobile suit armed with a giant scythe, Maverick note that the name _did_ fit.

"Are you ready, Duo?" she asked as she sent the transmission.

"Ready when you are sweetheart," he replied.

She smirked. "The terms of familiarity are very impolite. It's time you learned some manners."

With that, she jetted towards him, firing rapidly. However, no sooner than she'd moved he had seemingly disappeared. Narrowing her eye, she turned and checked her radar. Nothing.

But directly in front of her, a glowing scythe came down.


	9. Chapter 8

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha. All other characters belong to somebody else.

Chapter 8

Revival. Discussion. Knight.

**It would seem to a casual observer that Deathscythe and the Ravana were evenly matched.** Scythe and saber clashed again and again. Significant damage hadn't yet been dealt to either suit, but minor scratches were prevalent on both. Flurries of bullets flew between them, some tearing metal, some scratching. It would appear they were equally talented and powerful. But Duo had a distinct disadvantage. He only wanted to fight Maverick. She was going to kill him.

**"Good Vyasa, do you have to do that?"**

"Yes."

"But…" Maverick motioned to the shirtless Gundam pilot, "It's an invasion of privacy. Not to mention perverted."

"Come on, Saxie. How else will I get a look at their tasty, muscular-"

"You are a very sick girl!"

"No, what would be sick is if I totally stripped them."

"My tasty muscular what?" Duo asked, sitting up on the table. In an instant his oxygen was cut off by two tightly squeezing arms.

"Sorry we killed you, Duo!" She finally let go and he took a gasping breath.

"You guys killed me?"

"Well…actually Saxie killed you. Welcome aboard the _Tsunami_! In case you forgot, the grumpy one is Saxen and I'm Effie."

"Ah." Duo nodded, pretending he actually understood any of this.

**"What about one of those zappy collar things?"** Effie suggested, clapping her hands excitedly, "That could really work! I mean, every time she gets all 'grr!' then ZAP!"

"Only you…" Saxen shook her head.

"I thought it was a good idea," Effie said sulkily, leaning back into her chair.

"We really do need to find someway to keep Drusilla from biting people," Van Helsing interjected, cutting off the long, pointless conversation he knew was about to begin.

"Why don't we ask Washu?"

"We have no way to contact her."

"I know!" Effie squealed happily. She turned to the computer and carefully typed 'Washu is stupid'. In an instant, the screen flickered and Washu's indignant face appeared.

"Who wrote that?" She demanded.

"I did," Effie raised her hand, but cut Washu off before she could begin, "But only to get you here, because I think you are the most wonderful, brilliant being in any universe. And prettiest too." She gave Washu the toothy smile of one selling scuba gear to fish.

"Aww, I knew there was a reason Effie's my favorite! Flattery will get you everywhere in life," she told Saxen and Van.

"I'll tuck that away," Saxen snorted. Washu chose to ignore her and turned back to her favorite.

"So what's up?"

"We need information on restraining vampires."

"Vampires? We have vampires?"

"That Sacred One we tried to tell you about?" Saxen raised her eyebrows.

"Well excuse me," Washu rolled her eyes, "If I was too wrapped up in matters of interdimensional importance to listen."

"But seriously Washu, how do we keep her from biting people? I suggested a zappy pet collar but some people…" she glared at Saxen, but Washu didn't notice.

"I can work with that," she said pensively.

"You can?" Saxen nearly choked.

"Well sure. If I design it to immobilize her whenever she acts hostile toward anybody; that would work. It would take about a day unless…" She looked at Effie, "Unless I had some help."

"Help?"

"Well, if you provide the power for immobilization I can whip this doodad up in about an hour."

"Umm…will it…?" Effie trailed off nervously.

"It won't."

"Then sure." Effie shot Saxen a gloating smile before turning back to Washu in a superior fashion. Then she fell off her chair.

**Duo sat on the bed in his cabin.** Everything was so amazingly confusing here. He didn't know what was going on, and couldn't understand half of the 'explanation' he was given. Why did his life have to change? He, well, he hadn't been happy per se, but at least he knew where he belonged.

"Why are you hiding?" He turned around quickly. It was the third woman, with the dark hair.

"I'm not."

"You are. The brightest little star in the sky, and he wraps himself in darkness so no one can see. Not a one knows, not a one cares." She tilted her head. "Do you like songs?"

"Umm…sure." She nodded sagely.

"I can tell. There's a song in your heart. It's a waltz. It beats and twirls and will never, never end. For who but he who calls himself Death truly wishes for real life?" Duo blinked. Was it just him…or was she almost making sense? He felt a little dizzy. His mind was just a tad clouded. Drusilla smiled at him, but then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm just so lonely. I do all I can for Daddy and Grandmum and my dear, sweet Willy. Yet they all left me. My Willy left me. And I his mummy after all. He went away to dance with her on our grave. Our great grave of black."

"Whoever left you must be crazy," Duo said vaguely. He felt rather dazed. Drusilla watched the ceiling for a few more moments before looking back at him.

"You wouldn't leave me, would you little star? I could give you my kiss, and you would be my dark prince. And we shall tell everyone that we are having a tea party and have not invited them," she took a step closer, "I'll bring the stars, my precious. Stars for the stars and we shall laugh and you shall be my knight in armor of night. Knight of night, night of knights. But what to write in your schoolbook? Do you want it?"

"I…I…" Everything was blurred. He wasn't sure what was going on, but his head spun.

"Got to choose, ducky, or it will all leave with the spring rain."

"I…I do."

She smiled at him, and she took him into her arms and squeezed. She kissed his cheek. He noticed her lips were very cold. With a final glance at him, she bent down and flicked out her tongue, tasting his neck.

Then she bit.

**"Duo? Duo, where did you go?"** Effie jogged down the hallway. "I have good news for you, Duo!"

"He's here, sweets."

"Oh, good. I-" she stopped short when she turned. Drusilla stood, Duo cradled in her arms like a baby. He was very pale, and she could see two perfect holes in the side of his neck.

"No…"

**"There's nothing you can do, Effie!"** Saxen grabbed her friend by the shoulders and mightily resisted the urge to shake her.

"I am not going to let him die!"

"If she gave him her blood, there's nothing we can do for him now!"

"There's something I can do!" She rolled up the sleeves of her lime green sweatshirt and approached the limp form.

"You can suck out vampire blood?" Saxen asked sarcastically. Effie was clearly hysterical.

"No." She glanced back, "But I can burn it out."


	10. Chapter 9

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 9:

Flames. Conflict. Kindness.

**"Effie…what are you doing…?" **Saxen asked warily.

The girl looked up at her. "Saving him."

In all the years and hardships and dangers she'd faced, Maverick had only very rarely felt fear of her enemy. But now, looking into Effie's eyes that had suddenly gone from such a gentle brown to a fierce gold, a shiver ran down her spine. There was no doubt about it. The girl had power. And what manner that power had, she could only guess. The only think the bounty hunter knew for sure was that it couldn't be trusted any more than Effie could be trusted in the pilot's seat.

Carefully, almost tenderly, Effie touched the side of Duo's face and slid her fingers down until they were just resting over the holes in his neck. Closing her eyes, tiny flames sprung up. But instead of flickering like normal flames, they _flowed_. Flowed right into his blood, purifying it of the corruption Dru had filled him with.

Although his body had been still for several minutes and he stilled appeared to be unconscious, Duo started to twitch. Then he started to scream. And it was like nothing any of them had ever heard. Cries of agony filled the room, no words, just scream after scream until they all wondered how he hadn't passed out from lack of breath.

Saxen flinched at the sound of it and longed to cover her ears, but had too much pride and dignity for such a sign of weakness. Her orange eye focused on a spot across the room on the wall of the cabin and she tried to block out the sound, and failed. Standing a few feet away in the corner of the room, Van Helsing watched sympathetically, but couldn't see a way to help at all. However, he was not so troubled by the boy's pain as he was angry at the indifference and callousness that Drusilla watched with. He glared at her angrily, and knew what would have to be done once they were sure Duo was all right.

And Effie. Tears poured down her face as she continued to feed the flames into his neck. They could see her mouth moving in the silent mantra "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry". It even got to the point where the tears ran onto Duo's forehead, as if she was hoping they could somehow cool the searing pain within him.

When it seemed that none of them could take it anymore, Fire Blossom yanked her hand away and stumbled backwards. She would have fallen if Van Helsing hadn't been there to catch her. He looked towards Maverick helplessly, and she nodded and took the girl into her arms.

"You okay?" she asked. They were the only words of comfort she knew.

Effie nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah…yeah, I'll be fine. And so will Duo."

"You want us to go? Leave you alone?"

"Please."

Saxen let her go and stood up. Her eyes met Van Helsing's, and they instantaneously looked towards Drusilla with hard eyes.

"Saxie?" Effie called softly, looking up. Her eyes were brown again.

"Mm?"

"Don't."

Maverick's face was grim and she said nothing. Grabbing Dru's arm roughly, she and Van Helsing left the room.

** "Are we off to play in the gardens love?"** Drusilla asked innocently as Saxen dragged her down the corridor.

"No," she answered shortly. She stopped in front of a never-used cabin and nodded to Van Helsing. He opened the door while she shoved her inside. They followed her rigidly.

"What in the thousand hells were you thinking?" Maverick growled.

Dru only smiled. "He said he wanted to."

"And how long did you have to hypnotize him until he did?" Van Helsing asked.

"Not long, dear Gabriel. Not long at all. We couldn't be late for the party, you see. Else the tea should be spoiled."

"Damn you!" Saxen cursed slamming her fist against the wall. Van Helsing gripped her shoulder and shook his head. She clenched her fist.

"You could have _killed_ him, Drusilla," he said, his voice low and deadly.

She laughed. "Killed him? But lovely Gabriel, the she-wolf already has! And you, and me, and the little warrior, and the icy little pup, and—"

"It's necessary," Maverick cut off, upset at being called the "she-wolf". "And what you were doing…it was just perverse!"

"He tasted wonderful."

At that moment, Saxen most likely would've probably thrown a punch straight into the vampire's face. However, before she could even move, Van Helsing grabbed Dru and slammed her against the wall hard. A small silver rod dropped out of his coat sleeve into his hand, and with a click it expanded into a lethal-looking stake.

"You may be a goddess now, but part of you is still vampire. And unless I get rid of that," his hand slid up to her throat and started to squeeze gently. "You'll probably murder us in our sleep, wouldn't you?"

Dru sputtered and struggled to speak. "Can't…just…she-wolf…vixen…"

Van Helsing's brown eyes were hard as he lightly touched the tip of the stake to her chest. "You won't get the chance to try it…"

Then to his surprise, tears began to fall from the vampire's eyes. Her sobs were choked and painful. "Please…please don't scold me…I'm so cold! So hungry…so alone…Grandmum's gone…Daddy's gone…and my sweet Willy. Where do we go love? I don't know…you don't know…no one knows. Into the strangeness of all the worlds we go, where the are no stars and no green meadows with heather on the hills…"

"Van Helsing."

Maverick's face was calm and serious. There was no pity in her eye or expression, but the malice and anger was gone now. She shook her head slowly, then pulled his arm from her throat. Drusilla swallowed but stayed pressed back against the wall.

"If you _ever_," the bounty hunter said slowly, "_ever_, try that again to any of us, or anyone who's going to join us in the future, you will be punished. Do you understand? Van Helsing can kill the vampire blood, and who knows what will be left of you then?"

"I don't know," Dru whispered.

"Actually, her body would probably die."

Maverick whipped around to see Washu standing on the far side of the cabin, arms crossed over her chest and leaning against the wall. She looked oddly composed, something neither Effie nor Saxen had ever seen.

"Washu?" Van Helsing asked. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled slightly. "It's my ship, I'll come when I want." The redhead walked forward until she stood directly in front of Dru. "So you're Drusilla, hm?"

"Yes. You are the mother, aren't you? The naughty promise-breaker who makes silly questing games?"

"If you want to call me that, yeah," Washu took another step forward. Maverick and Van Helsing looked at each other. It seemed that Washu was taller now, more mature. She didn't even seem like the same person.

"I've got a present for you Drusilla," she continued.

"A present?" the vampire looked at the others. "I've been very naughty. Very naughty indeed."

"I know. But you're not going to be naughty anymore, are you?"

"I don't know."

Washu laughed slightly, then pulled a small case out of her pocket. Flipping it open, she revealed a small ruby cross no bigger than the tip of her finger. Carefully, she picked it up.

"Kneel down please," she asked.

Silently, Drusilla went to her knees. With her free hand, Washu tipped her chin up and pressed the little ruby cross against her throat. The vampire let out a single piercing scream as the cross erupted into a burst of light. Two seconds later, it was gone, the only trace of its presence the dazed look in Dru's eyes.

"Washu…what was that?"

"A little bit of Effie's power we were going to use in the "zappy collar". After thinking about it a while and running through some calculations, I realized that eventually, our Goddess of Majick would either starve or go crazy with the pain of getting zapped all the time. Well, more crazy anyways," the genius explained.

"So instead you…?"

"That cross was a conversion of Effie's power into a compact supply of human blood. Several millennia's worth. By the time it runs out, the power of the Nine will have faded and she won't even be a vampire anymore. It also sterilizes her own blood, so that if it should happen that she tries to sire another vampire, the blood will be impotent and the victim will just suffer a little blood loss."

"And you did this all with Fire Blossom's power?" Van Helsing asked softly.

There was a tiny spark in Washu's eyes, a spark of the immaturity that said _I know something you don't_. "It was just a miniscule fraction of it, Gabriel. And she donated it before she healed Duo, so she barely noticed the loss."

"Is she really that strong?" he murmured.

Washu grinned again. "You'll have to find that out from her for yourself."

And with that, she walked out the door.

** Duo had remembered pain.** The worst pain he'd ever felt. And he had felt a _lot_ of pain through the years. Being shot, being sliced, breaking bones, and being burned in explosions. But this, this had felt like fire was going through his very veins, like flames had been eating him from the inside out.

And now he felt cool. Not frigid, but as though he had fallen into a swimming pool before he'd gotten used to the water. And there was something warm near his face, almost touching, but not quite. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was met with the barrage of pale blue light.

His indigo eyes blinked a few times and he struggled to sit up. A little stiff, but not sore. He tried to remember where he was, then it all flooded back to him. The battle near L3, the giant spacecraft, the fight with the Ravana, and meeting that…_vampire_?

A soft groan came from the desk next to him. Effie sat at it, her head cushioned on her arms it rested against the top. She appeared to be sleeping, with one arm hanging off the desk down near Duo's pillow. He paused, then picked it up and rested it on the desk. But with that one touch, he realized that it had been Effie that caused the burning pain, and yet, if she hadn't, he wouldn't be alive. Of course, Duo had no idea how he knew this, and that was probably the most confusing of all.

"Um…hey…" he shook her gently. "Effie?"

She groaned again, opened her eyes, and slowly sat up. She yawned and stretched. "Come on Saxie….just let me sleep in!"

"Saxie?" he smiled. "Try again sleeping beauty."

She blinked, then gasped and threw her arms around him. "Duo! I was so worried you wouldn't make it!"

He was knocked backwards slightly, but hugged her nonetheless. "Hey…whatever you did, I'm strong enough to handle it no problem!" Duo paused. "What did you do anyways? I remember that girl…the vampire?"

Fire Blossom nodded solemnly. "Drusilla. I'm so, so, _so_, sorry about that! Really, I had no idea she would—"

He shook his head. "Don't mention it. It was partly my fault anyways. When she started with the psycho talk, I should've gone running for you."

She laughed. "You're as bad as Saxie!"

"Yeah, but I'm more fun," he said matter-of-factly. "But seriously…what did you do to me?"

"I burned the vampire blood out."

"_What?!?!?!?!_"

"I said I—"

"I know what you said! How the hell did you _burn_ my blood out?" Duo cried incredulously.

"It wasn't your blood, it was Dru's. And I'm sure you don't want me to demonstrate, but I will show you this," she held her hand out to him with her palm up, where a marble sized ball of flame rolled and spun excitedly.

Duo's eyes grew wide. "How the hell do you do that?"

"I'm Connected."

"To what?"

"Don't bother asking, she won't tell you," Washu said, walking through the door. She had reverted back to her childlike form and was smiling proudly. "Well, you'll be happy to know our little vampire issue has been taken care of. Might still want to keep an eye on her though, in case she gets a little ambitious."

"Will do," Fire Blossom nodded, then looked at Duo. "Duo, this is Lil Washu. She's the one who sent us to find you."

"Pleased to meet you," he replied, winking at her.

"Good way to make a first impression, Duo Maxwell," Washu winked back. "You get the 411 of what's going on around here?"

"The basics, yeah."

"Well, in case they forgot anything, Saxen and Effie are questing for the Nine Sacred Ones, the gods of Jurai that I and my sisters promised to the people a long time ago, and you are one of those nine, the God of Death."

He nodded. "Yeah, they told me that."

"And did they tell you that you'll be responsible for helping them kill the remaining six so that they can achieve their immortality?"

"Yeah, they told me that too."

"And did they tell you about the entertainment complex?"

"Eh?"

Effie's eyes lit up as she leapt to her feet. "How could I have forgotten! Come on, I'll show you!" she grabbed his hand and yanked him up.

"Heh," Washu smiled. "Okay, you two have fun. Effie, I'll contact you in a couple days about the next target. 'Til then, you can take it ea—"

But they were already gone.

**Several hours later,** as Duo and Effie sat playing video games, the God of Death looked over at the girl next to him.

"Hey, Effie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saving me. You're real sweet, you know that?"

"Uh-huh. Now DIE!" she laughed as she beheaded his undead swordsman. Duo shook his head and joined her.


	11. Chapter 10

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 10

Dolls. Boom. Back.

**Effie sat silently, deeply involved in Annabellina.** Duo was watching her questioningly out of the corner of his eye. He was also watching Drusilla warily out of the corner of his other eye. His eyes were getting pretty sore.

"What are you reading?" He asked finally.

"Annabellina."

"Wha-"

"Don't get her started," Saxen said. "Trust me." Duo glanced from Saxen to Effie and shrugged. He glanced a Dru and nonchalantly slid to the other side of his chair.

"Now, now, my burning star. I've had a lovely taste and shan't do it again. We must be role-models for Miss Edith, mustn't we?"

"Miss Edith?" She held up an extremely decrepit doll that appeared to be blindfolded. The look he gave her would have made Freud doubtful of his own sanity.

"What's up with Miss Edith?" Effie asked, sliding Annabellina into Frank, who helpfully rose to the side of her chair. Drusilla stroked the doll's hair.

"She's our special friend. She's very delicate, must be loved, must be pitied. Miss Edith needs me. We understand each other." Effie seemed to accept that answer, because she motioned to Frank who dropped Annabellina back onto her lap. Duo stared, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, now how does she do that?"

"Well-"

"Effie. Don't."

**Effie looked up.** She was sitting on a high cliff. Waves of the sea crashed against it, the spray almost hitting her, but not quite. She looked at one of her hands. There was a strange spiral symbol that appeared to have burned into it. She was vaguely aware that it hurt. Then the sea rose up and took the form of Saxen.

"You know." She said. She held out a watery hand that seemed to have almost the same symbol on it. Effie reached out her own hand, but could quite reach. She strained, but Saxen was just out of reach. Then she dissolved back into water.

**"Sacred One alert!"** They all looked up in surprise to see Washu's image on the screen. Thankfully, she seemed to have run out of places she could appear to scare them out of their wits. Or disturb them.

"What's up?"

"This one is…whoa. Earth again. We've got a total streak going on."

"Sure do." Effie's voice sounded detached. Saxen and Duo both glanced at her with some concern, but directed their attention back at Washu.

"This one is the Goddess of Chaos. I have some extra info for you this time. She's a teenager."

"Helpful," Van Helsing murmured. Washu gave him a dirty look, but for some reason did not comment. Then they were warping.

**"Female and teenaged, that's not much to go on."** Duo rolled his shoulders. It felt nice to walk on actual ground again. It was something he wish he got to do more often.

"Oh, come on," Effie shrugged, "how hard could it possibly-" she stopped as they rounded the corner and came face to face with a massive high school teeming with students "-be?"

They walked in shock towards the school. How were they expected to find one girl in this mass? They started up the steps, not really sure what the plan was.

"Hey girl. I am totally digging the 'do." Effie turned to see another girl with short, styled blonde hair and bright blue lipstick leaning against a handrail.

"Thanks. I like your lipstick." The girl laughed hard and stuck out her hand. Her fingernails were covered in dark, chipping nail polish.

"Tabby."

"Effie."


	12. Chapter 11

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter Eleven:

Friends. Dancing. Duel.

**"You look tired," **Van Helsing said as he appeared in the doorway of the bounty hunter's cabin.

Saxen didn't bother to look up from her desk. "If you were trying to be stealthy and hoping to catch me off guard, you're not very good at it," she answered flatly, then continued to write in the small book.

He shrugged and walked over, nodding to Moksha who stood guard next to Maverick's chair. The red wolf narrowed his eyes, but didn't make any other aggressive moves.

"He doesn't want you here," she continued, then closed the book and turned to him. "What is it you want anyways?"

"I'm wondering if you've seen Drusilla," Van Helsing answered.

She shook her head. "No. But considering that you, Moksha, and myself are the only others here, and we're all okay, I'd assume she's not causing too much trouble."

"Hm. Remind me again, why are we still here?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"We'd hardly pass for high school students," Maverick said. "And I don't want the vamp out in public."

"You think Duo and Effie can handle finding this Goddess of Chaos on their own?"

"No. And so they probably will, just to spite me."

Van Helsing laughed slightly. Saxen raised an eyebrow, sighed, then stood. "Was there anything else you wanted?"

"Nothing in particular. But…I don't like sitting around doing nothing. I can tell you don't either," he commented.

"Just one more thing we have in common," Maverick muttered.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Stop hitting on me."

"_What?"_

"You heard me," she inclined her head at Moksha. "If you hungry, we're going to go get something to eat. Coming?"

"I guess, but…what did you mean? "Hitting on you"?" Van Helsing blinked.

"Don't tell me your nineteenth century mind can't make the connection," Maverick snapped. The vampire slayer's face was blank. She rubbed her temples then looked at Moksha. "Men are all the same."

He barked out a short laugh. "So are women. None of them make any sense."

"And you would know this how?"

"There were women in my time too."

"And let me guess," Saxen turned around and stared at him with her single orange eye. "They were prim and proper and did everything men told them. None of them bothered to think or do anything for themselves and led worthless lives."

Van Helsing's expression became stony as he took a step forward. "Tell me something, Saxen. Are you naturally a bitch or do you have to work at it?" he growled. "You don't have a clue what you're talking about, so why don't you just shut the hell up?" Van Helsing turned around and started to walk the opposite way down the corridor. Pausing, he glanced back. "Women are all alike, and women like you are identical."

Now, it was Maverick's turn to be confused. "Wait a minute…what are you talking about? Women like me…?"

"Forget it," he continued walking.

"No. I won't forget it," she replied, following him. "Tell me what you're talking about."

"It doesn't matter. She's dead, and now I'm stuck with you. That's the only thing important anymore," he answered. His face was still hard, but now his voice had softened ever so slightly.

Saxen stopped. "Then just tell me two things."

"What?"

"Her name."

"Anna."

"Did you love her?"

His fist clenched. "I could've. I never got the chance."

**"So Tabby…" **Effie said as she poked at the spaghetti on her plate at lunch. "Is it usually this crazy around here, or it just a full moon or something?"

Duo nodded and looked around. "Yeah. Everybody's bouncing off the walls. It's like they all ate a year's worth of Pixy Stix and washed it down with a gallon of Mountain Dew he commented."

The blond girl laughed. "Nah, it's usually almost sane around here. But you two were lucky to transfer in on Spirit Week. By the way, where did you transfer from?"

"Chicago," Effie replied at the exact same moment Duo said "New York." The two looked at each other and laughed nervously.

"Er, what we mean is," Effie began. "_I_ transferred from Chicago, and _Duo_ transferred from New York."

Tabby didn't look convinced. "So how do you know each other?"

"Pen pals!" Duo piped up. "Yeah, see when Effie transferred, I didn't want to spend extra money on postage so I…arranged for a transfer?"

"Uh-huh. Well, whatever," Tabby shrugged. Shabby as the story was, she didn't seem bothered by it. "So you two going to the dance?"

"Dance?"

"Yeah! Friday after the football game. It's usually pretty fun. I guess they're still in need of a couple of chaperones, but this year sounds like it'll be a blast. They've got a kind of "stars and moons" thing going on for the theme," her eyes sparkled slightly. "And from what I've been hearing, _everyone_ will be there."

_Including the Goddess of Chaos_ Effie thought, shooting a look at Duo, who was thinking the same thing.

"Sounds cool. Yeah, we'll be there. Hell, we might even be able to get those extra chaperones," he smiled.

"Um, Duo? I don't think—" Effie began, but Tabby cut her off.

"Great! You guys gonna need a ride?" she asked.

"Sure. Can you pick us up at the old Windsor place?"

"Whoa," Tabby blinked in surprise. "You actually _live_ there?"

"More or less, yeah," Effie said.

"More or less?"

"Or less or more. Whatever works," she replied. "And yes, we know the stories about it. Supposed to be haunted, right?"

"That's what they say," Tabby nodded.

"Well, _we_ haven't seen any ghosts. A vampire, but no ghosts," she said.

The three were silent, then Tabby burst out laughing. "You're too much Effie, you know that? Too much."

At that point the bell rang, and they left.

**"So…still no progress, huh?"**Duo asked as they walked up the winding road. With the exceptions of Deathscythe and the Ravana, the _Tsunami_ had a serious lack of vehicles. Thus, Effie and Duo were required to walk the three-quarters of a mile down the mountain to where a bus picked them up and drove them to school in the city. Luckily, the weather for the past three days had been pristine. Of course, it was southern California in early September.

"Nope. I think she's there," Effie went on. "There's definitely an aura of chaos in the school."

"Sure that doesn't have anything to do with homecoming?" he smiled.

She laughed slightly. "It might."

"And speaking of homecoming…" Duo stepped in front of her. "You're going, right?"

"Of course. The Goddess of Chaos has _got_ to be there," Effie answered.

"Yeah, I know. But are you going with me?" he continued.

"Well we're certainly not going to leave you home!"

He took a deep breath. "But we're going together, right?"  
"Right. You and me and Van and Saxie and probably Dru."

Duo exhaled, exasperated. "Yeah, okay whatever," he sighed, continuing up the hill. Effie giggled, darted forward, and caught his hand.

"But if you meant am I your date," she smiled. "Yes, I'd be honored."

His face brightened, and he squeezed her hand. They continued upwards until they came to a dilapidated old mansion. Its rosy façade was cracked in places and the red tile shingles were coming off. It overlooked the ocean, and the back was sheltered by tall trees and the front of the mountains, a perfect place to hide the giant spacecraft.

The two walked up the driveway, unlatched the back gate, and followed the rough cement pathway running between long-dead flowerbeds to where the _Tsunami_ rested. Opening the hatch, Effie threw her backpack down at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Hello!" she called. "Saxie? Van? Dru? Hello?"

Moksha glanced down at them, smiled, then continued walking down the corridor. Smiling slyly, Effie padded off after him, Duo in tow. He led them to what they called their "living room", a large area with a few couches and the TV with the infamous movie collection. Dru sat on the floor cuddling Miss Edith and reading a book in what looked like Russian.

"Hey Dru. What's up?" Effie plopped down next to her.

"Very little, little fox," she replied, closing the book. She smiled mischievously. "They got in a quarrel today, did you know that? A lovely quarrel."

"Uh-oh. Who, Maverick and Van Helsing?" Duo asked.

Dru nodded. "They do not wish to dance. Their song is playing, but they just sit there. But…" she stood up and hugged Miss Edith to her chest. "If they will not dance, I will." And she did.

"Oooookay…" Duo replied, "Um, why don't you go talk to Maverick, and I'll talk to the big guy, okay Ef?"

"Yeah sure," she giggled. "I like it when you call me "Ef"."

He grinned and set off down the corridor. Fire Blossom went in the opposite direction, towards Saxen's cabin. When she reached it, she knocked.

"What is it?" the bounty hunter's gruff voice asked.

"Yo!" The door opened and Effie walked in. "What's up?"

Saxen was yet again seated at her desk, writing in her little book. "Nothing. What do you want?"

"Dru said you got in a fight with Van," she replied.

"It wasn't a fight. It was an argument."

"About what?"

"Why do you care?"  
"Because!" Effie sat down on the desk. "You guys are _my_ friends, and I want you two to be friends."  
"Since when are any of us friends?" Maverick raised an eyebrow. "As I see it, once this whole thing is over, none of us are ever going to see each other again, so why bother?"

"Aw come on Saxie. You know you don't mean that!" Effie said. The hunter didn't reply. She sighed, and decided to put the issue on the back burner. "Well, anyways, we've got a little breakthrough with Chaos!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. See, it's homecoming this Friday night, right? And everybody's going to be at the dance. So Duo and I figured we'd all go to the dance and find her there," she explained.

"Hm. Not bad. Two issues though," Saxen answered. "One: what about civilians?"  
"We can lure Chaos away from them. I mean, she doesn't know who she is, right? So we get her away, you do the deed, we take her back to the Tsunami, and go onto the next one. No problem."

"I guess. But anyways, issue two: How are the rest of us supposed to blend in with a bunch of high school students?"

"They need chaperones. So today, I signed up my "Aunt" Saxen, my "Uncle" Gabriel, and got a guest pass for my "Cousin" Drusilla. Everything's clear, right down to our ride."  
"Well…it's our best shot for now. All right, fine," Saxen sighed.

"Great!" Effie grabbed her hand and yanked her up, then started out the door.

"Wait a minute…where are we going?" the older woman asked.

"Duh! To get dresses!"

"Vyasa protect me…"

**The rest of the week passed slowly,** but finally Friday arrived. Duo and Effie were just as nervous and anxious as everyone else at their school, but for different reasons. Both could sense the death they could cause that night.

The evening was spent preparing for the dance, in several ways. Saxen, unable to sneak either her rifle or revolvers into the school, was armed with a pair of spinning razors that were hidden in matching wristbands. Likewise, Van Helsing had hidden knives and a stake in the sleeves of his jacket, and Duo had somehow produced a miniature lightsaber that masqueraded as a laser pointer. Effie, of course, refused to arm herself at all and had no intentions of participating in the attack. And Dru…Dru was _always_ dangerous.

They met in the driveway in front of the house. Although all three women were attractive in their own ways, both of the men had to agree on their appearance that evening. Dru's long black hair hung free down her back, contrasting with her pale complexion. Her blood red dress was strapless and cut dangerously low. They would have to keep an eye on her that night.

Effie's usually wild taste was a tad more subdued, but not much. She wore a long, sparkly midnight blue halter dress with silver armbands. Her hair was held back with a silver clip and opal drop earrings glittered from her ears. The high-heeled black sandals added greatly to her height, making her almost even with Duo.

Even Saxen had lost her rough edge. Her metallic-looking gold dress was straight and simple, and she wore the brown leather wristbands and a brown stamped leather choker belonging to Effie. The Tiger's eye studs remained in her ears and the eye patch on her face, but the younger girl had made two loose braids near her face and left the rest of her maroon hair down. And as always, she wore the copper ring that served as her "closet".

"Wow. You clean up good," Duo commented, stepping forwards. He had opted for a black silk shirt and dress pants. A gold cross hung around his neck on a chain, and his hair was freshly braided. Putting his arm around Effie's shoulders, he looked back at Van Helsing. "Man, you're lucky, you know! _Two_ girls!"

"Don't press your luck, Maxwell," the older man replied as he surreptitiously eyed Saxen. Effie had found him a navy shirt like Duo's and had told him to wear his long black coat to add to the "effect". She wondered what kind of an impression both he and the other women would make on Tabby.

They were about to find out. There was a honk from outside as a big silver SUV pulled up in front of the house, blaring loud punk music. The window rolled down, revealing the blond girl.

"Hey!" she waved. Effie waved back and rushed over. Tabby's dress was short and black with a shredded looking skirt and about a thousand straps tied in intricate knots around her neck.

"Hi! How are you?" she looked into the empty vehicle. "Where's your date?"

"Stag, baby," she winked at her. "Gotta keep my options open! Tonight's the night for miracles, isn't that what they say? Can't afford to be tied down."

Effie laughed. "Well, at least there'll be room for all of us now. Tabby, this is Saxen, Gabriel, and Dru. And of course you know Duo…"

"Yeah, that's one you don't forget," she smiled. "Well, whatcha standing around for? We've got ourselves a party to get to!"

They climbed in (Effie in the front, Duo and Dru in the middle, and Van Helsing and Maverick in the third row) and made small talk until they reached the school. From there, they split up. Saxen and Van Helsing took a spot in the corner of the gym where they could keep an eye on the students dancing, while Effie and Tabby darted off to the girl's bathroom and Duo went off to the snack stand. No one saw where Dru disappeared off to.

Eventually, the three students found themselves dancing to a high-paced techno song in the gym. While Tabby had slipped in with a group of students unfamiliar to the transfers, Duo and Effie found themselves dancing alone in a small space.

The boy smiled. "Care to dance?"  
She grinned back. "If you can keep up with me."

_Do I know you from somewhere?_

_Why do you leave me wanting more?_

_Why do all the things I say_

_Sound like the stupid things I've said_

_Before?_

Raising her hands over her head, Effie began to move her head and shoulders with the beat of song. Reaching for her wrists, Duo brought them down and spun her rapidly, then caught her by the waist and pulled her close.

_Kiss me I'm dying_

_Put your hand on my skin_

_I close my eyes_

_I need to make a connection_

_I'm walking on a thin line_

_I close my eyes_

_I close my eyes…_

He released her then and she caught his own wrists and twirled backwards into his arms, then twirled out just as quickly. Amused at her game, they moved together in unison for a while before he pressed his hands against hers, then put them around his neck.

_Do I know you from somewhere?_

_Why do you leave me wanting more?_

_Why do all the things I say_

_Sound like the stupid things I've said_

_Before?_

From the wall, Saxen and Van Helsing watched them silently, but shot each other looks. The woman, although not unfamiliar to the style, viewed it with contempt, while the man just watched confusedly. And both agreed that the sparks that had been flying between Duo and Effie were now catching and burning brightly.

_Touch me I'm trying_

_To see inside of your soul_

_I've got this thing_

_I need to make a correction_

_I'm not like this all the time_

_You've got this thing_

_You've got this thing_

A few feet away, Dru was now dancing with a tall blond boy. And if Duo and Effie's dancing was sensual, what was occurring between the vampire and her partner was downright scandalous. And yet, she didn't even seem to be paying attention to him. Although she had come with the plan of finding a new victim, she was puzzled at how suddenly the urge to feed had left her. So much so, that she didn't even pay attention to the boy's wandering hands.

_Do I know you from somewhere?_

_Why do you leave me wanting more?_

_Why do all the things I say_

_Sound like the stupid things I've said_

_Before?_

Suddenly, the spell was broken as the strobe light flashed into Effie's eyes. The first thing she saw was Tabby. She was dancing with a thin boy with white hair and glittery eyes, but that wasn't what she saw. She saw the girl's aura. The aura of power around her.

"Duo…" she said.

_Kiss me I'm dying_

_Put your hand on my skin_

_I close my eyes_

_I need to have your protection_

_I close my eyes_

_I close your eyes…_

Not needing any other words, he grabbed her hand and led her over to where Saxen and Van Helsing stood. A second later, they were joined by Dru.

"Well?" Saxen asked.

Effie looked up at her. "It's Tabby."

_Do I know you from somewhere?  
Why do you leave me wanting more?_

_Why do all the things I say_

_Sound like the stupid things I've said_

_Before?_

As the song ended, as if on cue, Tabby left the white-haired boy behind and wandered over to where the rest were gathered.

"Hey y'all. S'up?" she asked.

Effie looked at her, almost helplessly. She liked Tabby. A _lot_. The last thing she wanted was to let Saxen and the others hurt her. But there was no choice.

"Tabby…we need to talk…"

** They went out to the parking lot silently.** Tabby's mood had gone from confused to wary.

"Effie…what is this? What's going on?"

"Tabby, I…we…" she tried.

"We're not who you think we are," Duo said grimly. "_You're_ not who you think you are."

"What are you talking about?" she murmured.

"You're…Tabby…you're…" Effie took a deep breath. "You're the Goddess of Chaos."

"What?"  
"And you need to die," Saxen answered. There was a buzz as the razors popped up and began to spin. A second later, she lunged for her.

Blinking in surprise, Tabby was tackled to the ground. However, she narrowed her eyes as the razors approached her neck. With a yell, she shoved Saxen off of her and stood up.

"I don't know what the hell this is, but," she touched her forefingers to her thumbs. "You just got way more than you bargained for." When she pulled her fingers apart, two small glowing orbs appeared, crackling with energy. They flew off, one towards Saxen, the other towards Effie. The women just managed to avoid the explosions that followed.

More of the little orbs appeared and shot off towards them, but what Tabby didn't notice was the lithe, stealthy young man who appeared behind her and jabbed his laser into her shoulder blade. Screeching in pain, she tossed three little balls back at him. Duo batted them into the air and ducked, allowing Van Helsing to catch her by the hair and jerk her head back, exposing her neck. Saxen darted forward, shot one glance at Effie, and drew the razor across Tabby's throat.

The blond girl let out a gurgle as blood began to drip from her mouth. She suddenly went limp and fell. The razors slowed to a stop.

"Tabby…" Effie said, stepping forward, but Dru held her arm out to stop her. Silently, the vampire knelt down and put her mouth over the wound. There was the faintest sound of her tongue lapping up the blood. A minute or two later, she wiped her mouth and stood.

"It does not taste the same," she murmured. "It tastes like…water."

None of them said anything else as Van Helsing carried her back to the SUV and laid her in the back. Duo climbed into the driver's seat, Effie next to him. Saxen and Van Helsing sat in the middle. Dru sat in the last row, Tabby's head in her lap, as they rode back to the _Tsunami_.


	13. Chapter 12

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter Twelve:

Spiked. History. Split.

**"Are you okay?"** Duo approached Effie feeling very awkward. She was seated next to same metal table he had lain on during his death, holding Tabby's lifeless hand.

"Sure." It was obvious to him from her detached voice that she was not okay. And yet, he wasn't sure exactly what to do. Normally he was very good at comforting girls…but he didn't know where he and Effie stood. She had been his date the previous night, but he couldn't say what that really meant either. Their relationship was somewhere in between friends and…he didn't know what else.

"She's going to be fine," he offered.

"I know." She didn't budge, just gently stroked her new friend's hand.

"Do you-"

"I just hate this so much!" She spun around in her chair to face him, and her eyes were filled with pleading and tears, "I can't stand death, and violence, and why would Washu pick me for this? She knows all about me. She knows everything. So why would she put me in this position?" Duo struggled. He wanted to give her all her answers, tell her something wise and set all her fears aside. He wanted to make her feel better. But he had no answers to give her.

"I don't know, Fire Blossom."

"Fire Blossom. What a name," she laughed dryly, "It's not my real name, you know. Did I ever tell you my real name?" He shook his head. "It's Kathy."

"Kathy…" he said it as though trying out the sound, "I think I like Effie better." She smiled and looked back at Tabby. Closing her eyes, she sighed. She had to tell someone about that dream. What it meant, she had no clue. But someone had to know. As much as she hated sharing personal information, she couldn't just keep it to herself. Maybe Duo would even know what it meant.

"Duo, I have to-" A soft moan from the table interrupted her. Both youths quickly directed their attention on the stirring form of Tabby.

"Man," sitting up slowly, Tabby put a hand to her forehead, "someone must have seriously spiked the punch. I had the most freaky-ass dream you've ever heard of. You two were both there," she smiled at her friends, "and you pulled out some kind of laser, and you just stood there, while Duo and your relatives tried to kill me. Is that not the freakiest dream ever?"

"Umm, well, you see Tabby, that kind of…happened," Effie finished lamely. Tabby raised her eyebrows at her.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You people are so weird," she leaned back and rolled her eyes. Effie gaped at her.

"_We're_ weird? Who was the chick with the explosives coming out of her hand?!"

"I'm not weird. I'm a mutant."

"Mutant?"

"A twisted perversion of a little lamb, is she not?" They hadn't heard Drusilla enter. Of course, being a vampire, she was rather gifted in the stealth department. She smiled broadly at the newest Sacred One, displaying all of her all-too-human appearing teeth. She had changed out of her overtly predatory outfit from the dance, into a slight variation on her usual little-girl nightgown; this one was cream-colored, with a delicate pink bow at the collar.

"Excuse me?"

"You needn't sing, firecracker. I see. I can see him all about you. You fear the fuse. When the fuse goes off, so goeth the firecracker. Pop," she spread her fingers wide and spun around once, "And all the world will be gone in a flash of light and noise. And then who will come to tea?"

"Okay, she's definitely weird," Tabby glanced at Effie.

"It's not her fault," Effie offered weakly.

"Oh no? Then what's her deal?"

"Well, we don't really know…"

"She was good and sweet and pure. He corrupted her, drove her mad. Then made her a monster. After years, she finally found another as naïve as she had been and formed him into the lover she craved. But he left her for a vampire slayer." All of them, including Drusilla, turned to stare at Duo. His epiphany had certainly come out of nowhere.

"How do-" Effie began, but Dru slipped in front of her and lay a pale hand against Duo's cheek.

"Very clever, star. Very clever. Took a bit and now he knows about all the skulls in my wardrobe." Duo blushed and looked away.

"It's her blood. You got it out, but…it's hard to explain. When she exchanged blood with me, I learned all of her deepest secrets, her entire life. The blood is gone, but I can still remember."

"Who's 'he'?" Effie asked, scrutinizing Drusilla. Duo started to shrug and opened his mouth but Drusilla responded.

"Daddy."

"That sounds kinky," Tabby piped in, but Effie shushed her.

"Your father?" Drusilla shook her head.

"Father was neat as a pin, and smelled of peppermint. Daddy loved a good mess. And death. Daddy says he saw everything Father had when he gouged his eyes out. That was before, of course."

"Before what?" Effie asked cautiously.

"Before Daddy ripped his heart out." The three humans in the room all winced at the singsong voice Drusilla always used, even now, talking about her father's violent death. But then again, she was insane. And a soulless, evil vampire besides. It was strange how quickly one forgot that. She acted like a little child sometimes, with her doll and her nursery rhymes. But she wasn't. She was older than all of them put together.

"Grandmum thought it a lovely game," Dru continued, "Kisses filled with bitter, and thoughts of black snakes. That was what Grandmother liked best. Sweetest William loved it all. Though he then loved She. And we were most disappointed, Miss Edith and I. We had all planned a lovely picnic, but Willy stole all the ducklings, love. Not a one left," she shook her head sadly at the thought of 'Willy'. Duo and Effie exchanged glances. Tabby, however, didn't look away from the now silently weeping vampire.

"It's so sad," she said absentmindedly, starting to tear herself. Drusilla sniffled suddenly, and Tabby walked slowly over to her and put an arm around her shoulder. Softly whispering, she stroked the woman's dark hair until she was calmed.

Drusilla wiped a slightly red tinted tear off her cheek, and turned so she was facing Tabby. Leaning in, she gently licked one of tears off of Tabby's.

"Hey!" Effie broke in, "None of that!" Drusilla smiled, almost sheepishly and exited the room.

**"The future?"** Saxen asked, sounding skeptical. Effie nodded.

"My dreams show the future. Well, not the whole future. Just little undecipherable bits. It's all very symbolic. And not all my dreams. Like, not the one with the guacamole, and the pope, and-" she broke off, a look of horror crossing her face, "oh, god, I hope that's not the future!"

Saxen rolled her eyes. Effie had come to her, telling a strange story about a dream in which Saxen herself had been made of water, or the ocean, and magical spiral symbols or some such strange thing. Effie refused to believe it was not only a dream, insisting her dreams had before revealed the future to her. It made absolutely no sense. But then again…did any of this? The goddess of a society no one has ever heard of has been watching a bounty hunter and a hitchhiker and chooses them to track down a set of minor gods and goddesses who are spread throughout dimensions? Said hitchhiker also had mysterious magical powers.

Along the way, they pick up an 19th century vampire slayer, a vampire, some kind of super-armed soldier, and a wild teenage girl who can generate high-powered explosives, respectively. Plus five more people coming, sure to be freaks as well. And they were all flying through space and time on the most advanced ship in any universe. That had a really great movie collection. If anyone had told her this would be her life before it had actually happened, she would have suggested they find some professional help. Strongly suggested it, in fact. But here it was…her insane life. So maybe visions of the future weren't so unbelievable anymore.

"So, what do you think it means?" Saxen gave in to the idea.

"I don't have a clue. I was hoping you might secretly be a dream-interpreting bounty hunter or something."

Saxen arched her eyebrows, and Effie gave her a winsome smile, which had absolutely no effect on the bounty hunter who did not in fact have a secret talent for dream interpretation.

**Tabby sat quietly at a table, watching the stars go by.** Before, it had been inconceivable that she would ever make it into space. That kind of thing was impossible in her dimension. But here…here it seemed anything could happen. There was no limit to the possibilities. The dreams. The movies.

"Hey." She turned to see the man, Van Helsing, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Hey."

"I was just, well, I wanted to see how you were handling the…shock."

"I'm good, Hel-boy. This is pretty severely weird ass, but hey. In my life, the ass gets even weirder."

"Oh," he seemed a little shaken up by her language, "that's good. And I…I just wanted to apologize. For killing you. It was nothing personal."

"No hard feelings, H. I feel footloose and fancy free." Van Helsing nodded slightly, though he was fairly thoroughly confused. He exited and Tabby, sighing, turned back to the stars. She just wished she could really say she was okay with leaving her friends, her home, her dimension. It was so sudden and so new. She felt split down the middle. On one hand, this was an amazing adventure. Finally an escape from the confusing life she had tired of. On the other, this was a departure from the world she knew. She would probably never see any of the people she had known ever again. It was a sobering concept. The normally bubbly girl rested her head on her hand and shut her eyes.

**"Come on, Frank,"** Effie hissed, gesturing madly to the backpack, who seemed hesitant. After a few moments however, it finally gave up and came to her side. However, it seemed to be following grudgingly, which caused Effie to give Frank a light slap, "it will be fine. Don't worry about it." A pause and she sighed, exasperated. "Let's leave the thinking to the being with the brain, shall we?"

Frank seemed to have surrendered. At least, the backpack made no more attempts to sneak away, but followed its mistress dutifully as she slipped through a doorway and out of view.


	14. Chapter 13

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter Thirteen:

Prayers. Vyasa. Eyes.

**"This is so incredibly lame."**

"SHHH!!!"

Duo ducked as Effie threw yet another couch cushion at him. The pair, along with Tabby and a mildly distracted Dru, was experiencing a rare moment of peace watching a movie in what served as their rec room. Much to the only male's dismay, the girls had agreed on a romantic comedy as opposed to a gory war movie. Thus, the past thirty-seven and a half minutes were spent partially watching the movie, and partially yelling at Duo to stop interrupting with his inane comments.

"Oh come on. Tabs, you can't seriously be liking this!" he appealed.

The blond shot him a dangerous look. "Don't press your luck, Death-boy."

"Dru?" Duo ventured.

But the vampire didn't answer, for she appeared to be far too busy humming to herself and dancing with Miss Edith. The braided boy sighed and leaned back on the couch, rubbing his temples.

Effie smiled and patted his head. "Good boy. Now be quiet and you can pick the next movie, okay?"

"Fine."

The silence lasted about five minutes before he raised an eyebrow at the screen. "Damn…that slut…"

Effie and Tabby looked at each other, then glared at him.

"OUT!!!!" they yelled in unison, pelting him with a hail of popcorn.

Laughing, Duo darted out of the room and into the hallway. The door slid shut behind him and locked. He sighed and wondered what had become of Maverick and Van Helsing. Putting his hands in his pockets, he wandered down the long hallway, stopping in the galley to make himself a sandwich, then continued on his way.

A while later, he found a large room with a padded floor and a strange painting on the wall. Large candles were scattered sporadically around the area, giving an eerie, flickering light to the area. Sitting in the middle of the room in a lotus position with her arms extended out to each side was Saxen. About six or seven feet to her right, Moksha sat erect near a cluster of candles, his eyes on Duo.

He ignored them and looked at the painting on the wall. It depicted a dark skinned female with a gray-streaked ebony braid. She had three eyes and three arms, all held up with the hands making strange symbols. The soldier opened his mouth to say something, but paused when he heard Saxen murmuring something softly to herself.

"…And please continue to give me strength as I search for Your lost son. I ask You to bless Your handmaiden Ariens and keep her well. I also ask you to hold my Aditya in your arms and guide him on his path to Nirvana," she paused and looked at the wolf, smiling slightly. "Protect our Friend and Guardian Moksha as he protects us, and—"

"So…do you always talk to yourself while you do yoga?" Duo asked, cutting in.

Saxen glanced backwards at him. "It's not yoga. It's prayer."

"Really. Prayer for…?"

"What are prayers for, Duo?" she closed her eyes and finished. "And this I pray in Your Eternal Name, Vyasa." She rose simultaneously as Moksha did, then turned to face Duo, eyeing him critically.

"What?"

"What was it that you wanted?" Saxen asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Effie kicked me out."

"My heart bleeds," she rolled her eyes and Moksha let out a jovial bark. Duo glared at the wolf and followed her out of the room down the hall.

"What was that place?"

"A prayer hall. Washu must have built it knowing I would like to pray to my Goddess while on this damned mission."

"Your Goddess?" he asked.

"Yes. Vyasa."

"Vyasa. Uh-huh. What was with the three eyes?"

Saxen rounded a corner and started down the corridor to her cabin. "She watches all. One eye sees the Past, one the Present, and one the Future."

"And the three arms?" Duo pressed on.

"One to Hold, one to Heal, and one to Hurt," she paused and glanced back at him. "As a Christian, you may find my practices strange, but yours are strange to me as well. But I was raised in the Hand of Vyasa, my Goddess and Keeper," Saxen explained. "And Moksha's as well."

"But.." Duo frowned. "What about Washu?"

"Washu is the being I am unfortunate enough to be employed by. But she is not my Goddess. I do not worship her," Maverick replied.

"Employed? What's she paying you?"

Her fist clenched. "Something very precious to me that I've been looking for."

"Her son?"

Saxen's head shot back. "Whose son?"

"When you were praying, you asked your goddess for strength to find Her son," he answered.

"Oh…yes. Yes, I've been searching for a very long time, and little by little, Vyasa and Moksha show me the way," she answered.

"You talk about the wolf like he's a god too," Duo paused and looked at Moksha. "He's not, is he?"

"No. But Gaganite wolves are different from wolves elsewhere. They are not gods, but they are akin to them. That is why they must be treated with respect," she paused and put a hand on Moksha's head. "I am truly blessed that Moksha consented to be my partner and Guardian."

"Hm…you know, I wonder," Duo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "If we're supposed to be gods now, you think I'll ever meet this Vyasa of yours?"

She paused, then sighed and straightened. "Don't forget, Duo. _You _are a god. Effie and I are still only mortals. Our lifetimes are miniscule fractions of the eternity of yours. Whose to say what you will do between now and eternity?"

He froze. Mortals. Saxen was mortal, and even more importantly, Effie was. And he was going to live forever. He wasn't so sure if he liked that idea. But he sure as hell wasn't going to let a depressing one-eyed woman bounty hunter on a holy mission know that.

"Good point," he answered. "But…if I ever do, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you."

"It's appreciated."

There was no cynicism or sarcasm to Maverick's remark. It was the first sincere thing she had ever said to him.

"And Duo?" she hesitated. "I'll put a good word in for you too. Next time I pray."

He smiled slightly. "Thanks…I guess. It doesn't involve any sacrifices, does it?"

"Vyasa only takes the blood of Her enemies."

"Okay, good."

Saxen was about to walk down the corridor to her cabin when Duo suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Maverick? Could you do me a favor?"

"Depends. What is it?" she asked.

"Make up with Van Helsing."

An eyebrow rose. "That's not any of your business, Duo."

"Oh, come on, Sax. Have a heart."

"Don't call me Sax."

Duo sighed. This was going to be difficult. "Look, I talked with the big guy! I know he didn't mean to get all pissy at you, and—"

"I don't care! As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to discuss, and even less than that to forgive," she snapped.

"Good! Go tell _him_ that!" Duo replied cheerfully, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her with remarkable force to the vampire slayer's cabin.

"What? Maxwell!" Saxen growled, but the grip on her tightened. She frowned. How could the boy be so strong? The answer came in three words.

God. Of. Death.

With one hand still gripping her bicep, Duo knocked on the door to Van Helsing's cabin, which slid open smoothly.

"Yo Van!" the boy grinned, poking his head inside. But the man was nowhere to be seen.

Maverick glared at the death god. "There, are you happy? He's not here. Now let go of me!"

"Hm…that's weird. Where could he…"

"Duo, what are you doing?"

The two spun around to see a perplexed Van Helsing staring at them. Saxen sighed, closed her eyes, and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand. Duo laughed slightly.

"Hey, I brought you something," he answered, releasing her and giving her a little shove towards him.

"Duo…" Van Helsing continued to stare at him.

"Yeah, well, see ya. I'll leave you two to settle this yourselves. Later!" With that, he turned and darted down the corridor.

The two looked at each other, noticing the awkward silence. Finally, the tall man broke it.

"So…do you want to come in?"

Saxen hesitated, then shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

When they stepped inside, the first thing she noticed was that the walls were made of stone and completely blank. The light came from a medium sized fire that crackled and sprang to life on its own in the fireplace across from the antiquated bed. An oddly hi-tech looking crossbow hung on the wall and a few pistols sat on the small table in the corner.

"Van Helsing?" she turned to look at him.

"Hm?"

"Was your…was your room like this when you found it?" Maverick asked.

The God of the Hunt nodded. "Washu must have done it."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes…my cabin was an example of something from my home as well. And Effie's was customized to her too. There was even a prayer hall built."

"I think that Washu knows more than she lets on," Van Helsing commented.

"Really? What gave you that idea?" Saxen asked cynically.

The slayer glared at her, and something clenched around her heart. Duo was right, as much as she hated to admit it. She needed to make peace with Van Helsing before she went and started another fight with him. Swallowing her pride, she leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry. That remark was uncalled for," she said quietly.

He blinked in surprise. "You're apologizing?"

"Yeah. For this and for the other day. You're right. I can be a bitch sometimes. Most of the time, actually. And I was really overstepping the limits when I pried into your past like that. I had no right to do that," Maverick answered.

Van Helsing looked at her. "It's…it's nothing. Don't worry about it. I just…I don't want to talk about that anymore. But…I'm sorry too."

Now it was her turn to be surprised. "For what?"

"I have no idea. But…" he smiled slightly. "I just feel like I should apologize too."

Saxen let out a little chuckle. "Hey…if you want, you can ask me a question about my past. Not sure I'll answer it, but I'll try. Just to make it up to you."

"You want me to ask you a question?"

"If you'd like."

He rubbed his chin and eyed her thoughtfully. As he scanned her face for any sign of her trademark cynicism, his eyes rested on the patch that covered the upper right hand corner of her handsome face.

"Okay…how'd you lose your eye?" he asked.

"What, this?" she pointed to the patch, and shrugged. "My first fight with a bounty. I took her gun, but she had a knife. Right across the face. But…I never said I lost the eye."

"Then why do you wear the patch?" Van Helsing pressed on.

"Because it's damaged and I can't see well out of it. It throws off my depth and color perception," Saxen paused. "Would you like to see it?"

Thinking a moment, he nodded.

Shrugging again, the woman reached within the smooth flow of maroon hair and undid the strap holding the patch over her eye. As it fell, Van Helsing's heart skipped a beat.

There was no eyelid to the eye. That was the first thing he noticed. The second thing he noticed was that it was blood red, the entire eyeball. Except for a brownish diagonal slit that followed the maroon scar cutting through her sturdily arched eyebrow and running across her nose. There was no pupil, so he could not tell where the eye was looking. An ugly violet border rimmed the socket, making the round ruby stand out against her bronze face even more.

They were silent for a while before Saxen replaced the patch over it.

"It's a reminder to me," she explained. "That I can't let my guard down when I'm doing my job. _Ever_. And…" Maverick paused and smiled slightly. "It also clears up the problems of dating. Eyes like that aren't exactly a feature men look for in a woman, are they?"

He didn't answer.

Letting out another little chuckle, she raised her hand in farewell and turned to leave. But as she walked out she heard Van Helsing call out her name and felt his hand grip her shoulder. She stopped and didn't look back at him.

The slayer remained silent, but squeezed her shoulder gently, then let her go. Unsure of what to do, Saxen continued out the door.


	15. Chapter 14

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 14:

Curious. Search. Vampires.

**Duo and Fire Blossom sat on a bench.** Beautiful pink cherry blossoms fell all around them in a sweet-smelling rain. They were in a city just outside of Tokyo. Students and adults alike laughed and strolled through the park. Duo watched the people passing by, then glanced over at Effie. She was reading Annabellina again.

"Explain the plan to me again."

"If we look like we're here together, we're less approachable. I'm the quiet bookworm, you're open and friendly."

"Yeah, but I'm bored too. Why don't we swap, and I be bookworm?

"Because…" she smiled at him, "I'm the one with a book."

"Speaking of-"

"Don't, Duo. Just don't." She looked down, the light-hearted mood gone. He sighed.

"Effie, I know you hate talking about yourself, but I just have one question. Can you give me an honest answer?" She bit her lip and closed her book.

"Shoot."

"Where did you get Annabellina and Frank? What's up with them?"

"A friend gave them to me." He arched his eyebrows and she smiled slightly. "A very close friend who I cared very much about who is no longer on this plane."

"And? What's up with them?"

"I agreed to one question, hon. You'll have to wait for the rest," her smile was teasing and Duo rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation. Suddenly, Effie sat up very straight.

"It's near." She looked around the park frantically.

"What? What's going on?"

"I can sense the Sacred One."

"What, now you're psychic too?"

"I just feel it, Duo. I don't know why."

"Yeah, right. There are about a million people here. Why are the Sacred Ones always in a huge crowd?"

"So now you're the expert, after just one?" She smirked at him. "For your information, Van Helsing was one of two people in the middle of a forest, and Dru was wandering in a desert and there probably wasn't another being for at least 10 miles. It was just Tabby and you who were hard to track down."

"Speaking of…why isn't Tabby fighting the good fight with us?"

"Tabby and low profile? Kinda un-mix-y, don't you think?"

**Not too far from the bright sunny day, Drusilla was in the safe darkness of her cabin**. It was, like the rest of the rooms on board _Tsunami_, it was perfectly suited to its occupant. There were no lamps or other forms of light, and it was nearly empty except for a large Victorian-style bed with an ornate metal head. The walls were a deep scarlet, and there was plush mulberry carpet covering the floor. It was on that carpet that the vampire now was sprawled across, giggling to herself.

"The deck has been shuffled and all the cards are in play. The Queen of Clubs will not be pleased, nor will her King. They cannot offer a sugar cube to the Queen of Spades, and the Jack cannot cross the line. The Queen of Hearts will be the guest of honor, and the game cannot continue without her. Croquet balls, and so much tea, it's a wonder we do not drown. Nothing to be done, nothing to change. The dice are cast and fate is sealed. Fate eternal…" She writhed with almost orgasmic pleasure and her shrill laughter filled the room. "Not a chance, ducky. Not a chance."

**"Are you sure about this?"** Duo looked around. It had gotten very dark and all the lights were on. But Effie refused to leave the park. She insisted that the Sacred One was still within their grasp.

"The Sacred One is here, I know it." The sound of a flute trilled from somewhere. The two turned around in search of the music and they spotted the only person in the park. A girl, younger than they were, maybe 13, wearing a short white kimono with a large violet bow. She was very pale, with large golden eyes.

"Greetings Shinma. I am afraid you will not be here much longer."

"Shinma?" Effie hissed at Duo. He shrugged and she rolled her eyes. Load of help he was. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You may not know, but it is time for you to return to the Shadows, Shinma."

"I don't understand. What's a Shinma?"

"You must have us mistaken for someone else," Duo put in. The girl shook her head silently. A small pink creature leaped onto her shoulder from out of the bushes. Effie stared. It look something like a rabbit, but it had some kind of spines instead of a usual tail.

"I'll check them out for you, Miyu!" A ear that had been hanging over one of the creature's eyes drew back and Effie gasped. It was large and yellow, bloodshot. "The boy is human but the girl…there's something in there I don't recognize, but it's sure not human!" Duo looked at Effie curiously. _Not human?_

"I am not a Shinma," Effie said a little louder and much more tense, "I belong here."

"Prepare to leave this plane," the girl ignored her and small ball of fire flared up in the palm of her hand.

"This is the plane I belong on! I have a short enough time here, and I am not going to allow you to make me leave," her eyes narrowed, she mirrored the girl with her own flame.

"You force my hand, Shinma. Do not worry about your human friend. He will be given happiness."

"I never thought the day would come." Drusilla drifted up next to Effie. Duo stared. Where had she come from? "My pleasure." She curtsied deeply to the girl.

"Vampire?" The girl asked curiously. "How have you escaped the Shadows?"

"Clever as a fox, I am. Just like the stars in the heavens," she spun around, arms spread wide, "And you? Command the high court from a lofty throne?"

"What the hell is she talking about?" Duo asked Effie quietly.

"Why should I have any better idea than you? At least she's distracting the little pyro."

"Speak for yourself," Duo smiled despite the seriousness of the situation.

"I don't understand you," the girl said.

"But I understand you perfectly, love. Just perfectly. I can see her smile, her heart and the lovely mess she made of your head. All there, plain as day. I never liked daytime. Nighttime is so much nicer, don't you think?"

"She's weird," the bunny-thing said. Effie arched her eyebrows doubtfully.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle…a baking utensil or something like that."


	16. Chapter 15

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 15:

Appearance. Inheritance. Difference.

**"Something's wrong."**

Van Helsing tore his attention away from the giant map on the wall and looked over at Saxen, who had previously been sitting at her desk writing in a notebook. Moksha, who until now had been sitting in a sphinx-like pose near the bounty hunter's cabin door staring into space suddenly rose and looked at the pair inquisitively. They had agreed to stay on board the ship, currently parked several thousand feet over Tokyo, while Duo and Effie conducted their investigation on the latest search for a Sacred One. However, they had noticed Dru's absence several hours before, and had gathered in Saxen's cabin to discuss the situation. Unfortunately, after about ten minutes Tabby had commented on how boring the conversation was, "not to mention the extreme sexual tension", and had rocketed out and disappeared to one of the farther reaches of the _Tsunami. _

"What is it?" he asked, standing behind her.

Maverick closed the book and stowed it in the desk drawer, running her fingers over the lock. Something clicked and it glowed for a second, then she stood up. Pulling on her coat, she turned to face her human companion.

"Can you feel that?"

He paused and closed his eyes. He _could_ feel something. His heart began to beat very fast. Something _was _wrong. He opened his eyes and saw a young girl in a strange white garment standing a few feet away from him, a small pink creature on her shoulder. Dru was slowly circling the girl, like a vulture stalking its prey. Soft hands with black manicured nails squeezed at his shoulder. Effie.

He blinked and suddenly he was walking around the white-clad girl, a strange desire rising up within him. His blood called to her, sister to sister. Wait…_sister_ to sister?

There was a quick, sudden blast of loud techno music and a whirl of flashing lights before it suddenly all went black. Blinking, he opened his eyes and saw Saxen, her face suspicious and confused.

"Van Helsing?" she asked uncertainly, stepping towards him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he shook his head, trying to make sense of what had just happened. He had seen something, several things, through other people's eyes. His fellow deities', to be specific. Or had he? Perhaps it was just a freak hallucination. Or perhaps…

"I saw them. What they were doing," Van Helsing said finally.

Maverick cocked her head. "What _who_ were doing?"

"The others. Duo, Effie, Drusilla, maybe Tabby, but I'm not sure."

"A vision?"

He nodded.

"What were they doing then?"

"I'm not sure," he repeated. "It was like I was seeing what they saw. I think I was Duo first, because Effie was gripping onto me…him…pretty tightly. There was another girl too, a young girl in white. Drusilla was stalking her, but I don't know why. Something about blood calling blood…"

He shook his head. It was fading as he recalled it and explained his vision. But when he tried to feel the others again, whatever connection there had been was gone. Van Helsing stared apologetically at the bounty hunter.

"Don't worry about it," she shook her head, then put her hat on her head. "I think we should go find them though. You said Dru was there? That's very strange…I was sure she was here with us. Tabby too. I—"

She was cut off by the sound of a loud thump from down the corridor outside. Moksha leapt to his feet and let out a single, warning bark. Locking eyes with Van Helsing, Maverick pulled out a revolver and stood by the door, then tossed a second to him. Catching it, he stood across from her, Moksha in between growling lowly. Mouthing a count of three, Saxen opened the door and looked down the corridor. A dark lump lay on the floor about halfway down. Slowly, the three made their way towards it. When they were about three feet away, the lump stood up and resolved itself into the swaying, clearly inebriated figure of Tabby.

"Tabby! Mother Vyasa…" Saxen rolled her eyes and took the younger woman by the arm. "Where in the thousand hells were you?"

Tabby smiled. "Saxie sweetheart, I gotta tell ya somethin. I _love_ Tokyo. Da sake is ta _die_ for…"

"Yeah, sure. Why don't we get you to bed?" Van Helsing led her to her cabin, trying not to laugh. Maverick appeared clearly disgusted, but she too was masking a grin behind a glare that was just a little to glittery to be threatening.

Once the blond goddess was safely snoring away in her bed, the two humans retreated back into the hallway, where a not-unfamiliar redhead was leaning against the wall with an amused grin on her face.

"Bet ya didn't know the Goddess of Chaos was also the Goddess of Alcohol, huh? A regular Bacchus, don't you think?" Washu asked, winking at them.

"You took her out drinking, didn't you?" Saxen asked.

Washu held up her hands. "Of course not! I was looking for her because I needed her! And even though I'm proud she could drink that much sake before passing out, I'm still very upset that she's in her current state!"

"You don't look upset," Van Helsing commented.

"That's because I'm eternally cute," Washu replied with a grin, which soon straightened and became serious. "You need to go find the others. They need help taking down their target."

"The girl in white?" Van Helsing asked.

Washu blinked. "Um…yeah. How did you know?"  
"He saw her. Or Duo saw her. Something like that," Maverick answered.

The goddess's expression grew even more surprised. "A mental link? So soon? That's amazing!"

"Washu! Damn it, if the others need us we don't have much time to waste do we? So what is it exactly we're dealing with?" Saxen snapped.

The trademark holo-laptop appeared, and the image of the girl in white materialized on the screen.

"Okay, sorry," Washu said. "Anyways, this is the target. Her name is Miyu, and she's a royal vampire from one of the oldest clans in Japan. She is the last of her line, and is known as the Guardian because it is her responsibility to send all beings of shadow back to the darkness from where they are born. Don't let her looks fool you, because besides being a vampire she also has the ability to create fire at will, and also has the knowledge of one hundred and twenty-some years. Not quite as old as Dru of course, but this girl is far more sane and just as dangerous."

"So she's too powerful for them?" Van Helsing asked.

"No. Between Duo and Dru, I think she could be subdued quite easily," Washu continued. "But the problem is, she's only half of the Sacred One we're looking for."

"Half? How can she be half?" Maverick asked.

The image of a looming figure in black wearing a white mask appeared on the screen next to the girl. "This creature is a European demon called Larva. A "Western Shinma". He serves Miyu in all that she does. The two are also bound together by blood. He is the other half to the God of Justice. Both must be killed and resurrected. She is the Judge, and he is the Executioner. You must have both to have the One. Got it?"

Saxen paused. "We have to kill them _both_?"

"Yes, and it won't be easy. Duo and Dru are safe of course, but Effie's life is in direct threat. If she dies, Saxen, things are going to get very difficult for you. But you've still got a little time. Miyu doesn't feel threatened yet; she won't summon Larva until she does. And when she does, all of you are going to have to work very hard, especially with Tabby incapacitated."

The laptop vanished, along with its user. However, Washu's presence still hung in the air.

"Van Helsing, you show her the way. You know where the others are. Now move it! There's no time to loaf around!" her voice called. Her presence faded.

Saxen looked at Van Helsing. "Well, you heard her." She paused, then spoke words she had never spoken before. "I'll follow you."

Smiling affably at the one-eyed woman, he led her to the ground landing port that would beam them Star Trek-style to the oddly deserted parking lot a few blocks from the University of Tokyo. He only paused to take the crossbow from his room, and to place the borrowed silver revolver in Saxen's hand.

**"Duo…what's she doing?"** Effie whispered to her companion, squeezing his arm even tighter (if that was possible).

He winced in pain, but kept his eyes focused on Dru and the girl in the kimono. "Didn't we already talk about this?" he glanced at the ball of flame still hovering over Effie's free hand. "Feel free to throw that thing at any time."

"Not if I don't have to!"

The sound of Dru's hysterical laughter made them look up. "Ah yes. Little vixen doesn't like blood," she explained to girl in white. "Speaking of blood…your little girl. Your sly little fox…she had red hair, didn't she? Naughty girl…ate Mother Goose's egg didn't she? And it hatched, and her poor little tummy ripped open like a pretty red and white rosebud. Didn't it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" the girl murmured. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Dru asked. She appeared in front of the girl and knelt down to stare into her eyes. A feathery white hand reached up and touched the girl's face, then ran down to her lips. She parted them, and gently stroked the girl's fangs. "I'm you, blessed precious." She smiled, revealing her own fangs.

The girl's gold eyes glittered, and she leapt backwards. "LARVA!" she screamed.

There was a rush of blackness as a hand with an edge like a knife slashed across Dru's face, eliciting an angry, serpentine hiss and the formation of ugly ridges on her formerly lovely face.

"Naughty naughty…we are not amused, ghostie. Not pleased at all," she growled, lunging for him.

Effie squinted as she tried to make out the new figure's features. Very tall, with white manicured hands and a dead ashen face with dead black eyes and a painted mouth. The body was completely hidden beneath a black cloak.

"No one touches Miyu," the figure, the one the young vampire had called Larva, warned.

"I'm sorry," Effie apologized, stepping forward. "But it is her destiny to die for this greater cause. Miyu," she looked towards the vampire. "Please, let's do this quickly and painlessly. You don't want trouble, do you?"

Miyu stared back at her, gold eyes calculating in the glow of the streetlights. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. I know my destiny. I will decide when it will change, and when it does, Larva shall do it for me. But in the meantime, Shinma, it is time for you to go back to the darkness."

More balls of flame flared up in the young vampire's hands as she leapt up in the air and soared towards the hitchhiker. Setting her jaw, Effie cupped her own hands, but before she could, there was a flash of blackness and a cold wind that knocked her back.

"Effie, don't," Duo's voice echoed in the blackness. "I won't let you be the one to shed the blood here."

"Duo?"

A change had come over his voice. It was lower, and colder. But the chills it sent down her spine were not unpleasant. They were, in fact, frighteningly delightful. As Effie looked at him, she noticed there was an aura of darkness about him as well. And something…something on his back…

Duo looked back at her. He too had felt the change coming over him. The power that was flowing through his veins. Eyes glittering and fading to black, he smiled a fanged grin at her. "You saved me once Effie. I'll repay the favor, I promise." With that, a pair of leathery black wings spread from his back and a glowing green scythe appeared in his hands. He turned back to Miyu.

"Here's destiny for you, kid," Duo replied with a smug grin, rising up. However, when his scythe came down, it collided directly with an onyx blade in the white hands of the Western Shinma. He said nothing, but fought the God of Death to the ground.

Miyu narrowed her eyes as she watched them. Had she been mistaken? Was it really the boy that was the Shinma? But how could that account for the girl's ability to create fire?

There was little time to dwell on this, because at that moment something slammed into her from the side. It was the other vampire, the one who spoke so strangely. Dru tried to pin Miyu to the ground, but soon found that though she was stronger, wrestling the Japanese vampire was like trying to wrestle an eel.

Miyu leapt over the battling men and landed on a tree branch. "I don't know who or what you are, but you have no business here. Goodbye."

Two balls of fire spiraled towards Dru. Her eyes widened and she held up her hands.

The fireballs sputtered and died.

"What?" Miyu cried, staring in shock at the sight. "How…what did you…?"

Dru cocked her head, a confused puppy dog look on her face. Then she began to laugh, so loudly and shrilly that even Duo and Larva looked over at her.

"Ah…can you not smell it, Little Sister?" she giggled. "We are Majick, you see. _We_ are Majick. If we don't like the stars, poof! We put them out! Can't pull little white rabbits out of hats, no. But we can put them back! Make them disappear! Gone gone gone, in a little puff of smoke. Poof!"

"Dru…" Effie reached out for her, but the black haired woman raised a hand.

"Uh uh uh uh uh!" Drusilla smiled. "No no, Little Vixen. You say no blood, so no blood you shall receive! No, you stay back and out, vixen. Not for you, the spoils of this battle. Not for you."

Before she could say more, there was a sound of a swish and an arrow lodged itself in the tree just inches from Miyu's head.

"Good to see we didn't miss much," Van Helsing commented, walking towards the group with Saxen and Moksha in tow.

"Van! Saxie!" Effie cried, rushing to them. "Thank god. Where's Tabby?"

"At home. She ah, went…out," Saxen finished lamely. "It's a long story. But listen, Washu contacted us."

"Washu?"

"You have to kill them both, Miyu _and_ Larva. They're bound together, so they make up the same God. They both need to die," she went on.

"Well duh! What the hell do you think we've been trying to do?" Duo snapped, all evidence of his foreboding essence gone.

"The ghostie is like the others, yes? So he must die like the others. But he cannot, he cannot. Because the little vixen sheds no blood. And you, Little Sister," Dru smiled. "You will die like all the others too. All our precious angel hunter need do is what he does best. Angel? Be kind to us. We are tired, and would like to go home to bed."

Van Helsing looked first at Dru, then at Miyu. Staring apologetically at her, he raised his crossbow. But then came the black wind, and the glint of streetlights on an onyx blade…

"Effie, kill him!" Saxen screamed.

Without thinking, and controlled by some influence that may or may have not stemmed from the Goddess of Majick, Effie turned to look at the descending demon. In the blink of an eye, and almost without any action from the brunette, Larva burst into flame.

"Larva no!" Miyu cried, but before she could move there was another arrow song and the small, light dart from Van Helsing's crossbow was sticking out of her throat. She stared down at it awkwardly, pulling it out with a wince of pain. But before it was completely extracted, two more darts lodged in her torso, then a few in her shoulder, and one in a bared thigh. She fell from the tree. Saxen ran forward and picked up her limp body, looking questioningly at Van Helsing.

"She's supposed to turn to dust, isn't she?" she asked.

He shook his head. "She's not just a vampire. Her body is protected. I don't know if she's completely dead, but if Fire Blossom could kill Drusilla with a little box…"

"Good point," Maverick agreed.

Meanwhile, Effie was slowly stalking Dru, fury in her eyes. "You…you made me do that!"

"We did nothing of the sort, sweetheart," Dru replied with a smile. "We are Majick, but woe, we have no toys to play with. And sweet vixen, you let me borrow your darling little trucks. Only borrowed, dear heart. Not your fault if the toys crash, is it? No no, Responsibility, Daddy and Grandmum taught us that a long time ago, yes. But…" she paused and smiled again. "Could the little toy trucks be borrowed again sometime, vixen? If I am very good and ask very politely and eat my dinner all up?"

"You…" Effie did not appear satisfied. However, before she could unleash any sort of wrath upon the Goddess of Majick, Duo tapped her on the shoulder.

"Um, anyone else bothered by the fact this guy is still burning? Don't we need his body or something?"

"Shit…" Saxen cursed.

Effie turned back to Dru. "Well?"

"Well what, pixie pup?"

"You put out Miyu's fire before! Put mine out now!"

"Oh. If we must, we must. Messes are great fun, but we must behave if we want to—"

"Drusilla! Stop stalling!" Van Helsing scolded.

She smiled at him. "Attend to Little Sister please, angel. I will take care of the ghostie." With that, Dru looked at the burning corpse of the demon and waved her hand. The flames disappeared without a sound, leaving a white body with pale blue hair, unseeing ruby eyes, scraps of charred black fabric, and a broken mask.

"So that's what he looks like for real," Effie murmured, approaching him and brushing aside a strand of hair. She smirked. "Kinda cute."

"What?" Duo cried. "Are you saying I mean nothing to you?!?!?!"

She laughed, stood up, and hugged him tight. "Of course not. You saved my life. You're my hero."

The God of Death smiled proudly. "That's more like it."

"If you two don't mind," Saxen snapped, carrying Miyu's still body while Van Helsing hoisted Larva over his shoulder. "We've got a ship to get back to. And I'd like to get a little sleep before having to deal with two new members of our little society, _and_ the Goddess of Chaos with a hangover."

Duo and Effie paled. It was going to be a _long_ night.


	17. Chapter 16

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 16:

Connection. Conversation. Cruel.

**Miyu and Larva lay side by side.** Effie stood at the head of the table and gently placed on hand on Miyu's cheek. She was cold. She was dead, of course, but it was still a disturbing, yet strangely exhilarating sensation. Her other hand she raised hesitantly before letting her fingers trail down Larva's arm, still shrouded in the black expanse of his robe. His eyes were still open, but blind to the world. That was one of the scariest things Effie had seen. Red eyes, dull and empty.

"What's going on in here?" She jumped and turned to see Duo leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey Duo. I thought you were keeping Tabby company."

"I was. Until she tried to blow me up. Apparently I was breathing too much."

"A sake hangover's a real bitch."

"You know this how?" He arched his eyebrows and she laughed. "So…what's with the caressing?" She quelled slightly under the suddenly cold note in his voice, but her eyes hardened.

"Nothing." He looked doubtful. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Mr. Maxwell." Their eyes locked into a match of wills. Duo sighed and looked down for a moment before directing his gaze back at her. It was soft now, and Effie felt her sudden anger melting.

"I know you don't, Effie. I was just asking."

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Because, you know, I'm not sure here, Fire Blossom. One night I'm your savior, and the next you've got your hands all over another guy," he tried to keep his voice light, but…

"Is that a touch of jealousy?" He colored slightly and she laughed. "I just…it seems so weird. The Sacred Ones are gods, you know. And I feel like I should, I dunno, burst into flames or something beholding the magnificence of a god. And yet…" She walked slowly over to him and pressed her hand against his cheek, "I can touch you."

He grinned and rested his own hand on her shoulder.

"So…." She tilted her head, "The thing with the wings, can you do that at will or only during a battle?"

"Why do you ask?"

"'Cause," she pursed her lips and smiled, "it's kinda sexy."

"Oh yeah?"

"Miyu…" a dead sounding voice spoke behind them and Effie whirled around. Larva had risen and was bent over the unmoving body of the small vampire. He looked pained. He straightened to his full--and very impressive--height, and his scythe materialized in his hands.

Before he was able to move forward however, a wall of flame appeared in front of him. He did not attempt to advance. He hadn't forgotten his last incident with the power Effie wielded.

"Hi. Larva, right?" Effie asked. He glared at her, ruby eyes burning into her. "Calm down, we don't want to hurt you. And, the whole fire thing earlier, that wasn't my fault. I'm still sorry, of course, but-"

"I am insignificant. You harmed Miyu. For that you must pay."

"Now that's devotion," Duo muttered. Effie elbowed him. He responded with a loud 'ow'.

"She'll be fine. She should be getting up any moment. This is part of her destiny. Yours too. You had to die to be reborn as the God of Justice."

He eyed her doubtfully, but he didn't look quite as aggressive as before. Effie stepped forward and, taking a deep breath, held out her hand. A hole appeared in the flames just large enough for her to reach through.

"Ceasefire?" She asked with a hesitant smile. Larva stared down at her hand. He raised his own much larger hand hesitantly. Duo stared at Effie, clearly sure she had gone insane. Larva slowly dropped his hand back to his side and lifted his eyes back to meet hers.

"I cannot speak for Miyu. I should not even speak to you without her permission," he dropped his eyes.

Duo hissed something under his breath that sounded suspiciously liked "whipped". Effie considered hitting him again, but since it hadn't had the desired effect last time, she decided against it. She sighed and began to withdraw her hand, but it was suddenly gripped strongly by a cool hand a tad smaller than hers. She stared in surprise at Miyu.

"I believe we can reach an accord," she said with a tiny smile. Effie grinned back and the fire disappeared.

"Let's go chitchat. We've got cocoa, and soda, and coffee, and tea, and…" she continued to rattle off the _Tsunami_'s complete supply of beverages.

**"Miyu…"** The vampire turned to view her servant as the two continued walking.

"What is it, Larva?"

"We cannot trust them," he said simply. She shrugged slightly.

"I don't know…they seem nice."

"Miyu, don't forget-"

"How can I?" She put a hand to her temple and shut her eyes. Larva rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Miyu."

"It's not your fault. My destiny has taken an unexpected turn. I intend to see what this new course may hold before I refuse it." She turned around and paused, smiling brightly. He stared, unsure what to do, for a few moments before an almost nonexistent smile twitched the corners of his pale lips. She opened her eyes and tilted her head, as though seeing him for the first time. "Your mask…"

His hand shot up to obscure his face from her. He ducked his head.

"My apologies," a new mask, dead and white materialized in front of his face. Miyu frowned ever so slightly. She began to speak, but changed her mind and continued walking.

"Besides, they are not such formidable opponents. Except for the vampire, and that boy," she nodded toward Duo who was walking next to Effie a few feet in front of them, and out of earshot. "Watch them, Larva. I'm not sure about them."

He nodded and faded partially out of reality until he was barely visible.

**Effie lay asleep.** A guitar chord woke her, and she sat up in bed. Duo was sleeping in a chair near her bed, and lounging in another chair…

"He's a cutie," the thin, lanky man nodded toward Duo and smiled slightly. Strands of bright violet hair fell in his eyes and he looked up and tried to blow them away, looking both amused and annoyed. Effie stood and walked slowly toward him. She reached up, as if to touch his cheek, but paused.

"I'm asleep," she whispered. He grinned at her.

"Yes, you are. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it."

"Why should I enjoy it?" She turned away and walked over to Duo. He looked very pale. She rested a hand on his forehead. He was cold, and, on closer inspection, she could see a tiny bit of blood collecting at the corners of his mouth.

"Kathy-"

"They don't call me that anymore."

"Don't you miss me?" She turned around, not really caring very much about Duo's apparently lifeless state. The man rose and set the guitar he had been casually strumming on the floor next to the chair. He was tall, and very, very thin. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she could see he was wearing long, baggy jeans and a partially open pinstripe shirt. Looked just like she remembered him. It was vicious of her mind to do this to her. Show her him in the middle of everything that was going on. After everything…it was cruel. Simply cruel. He spread his arms wide and tilted his head, expectant.

"C'mon, honey. Get over here and give your big brother a hug."


	18. Chapter 17

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Frank, and Annabellina. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 17:

Lynx. Posse. Wolf.

**Effie crossed her arms and tilted her head.** She sighed, staring at her grinning brother.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the galaxy?"

"No hug? You sure? I'm really in a hug mood," he widened his green eyes. She saw the slightly tapered pupils that she hadn't seen for years. It looked like he had just stepped out of her past and into the cabin.

"How do I even know it's you?"

"You can't recognize your own brother? C'mon, Kath, is this adorable face forgettable?"

"You never know. You could be something that looks like you but really isn't you," she began to pace as she ranted. He stood by and watched, mildly interested. "You might be a shape-shifting man-eating alien thing or a government conspiracy or-or-"

"An alien?" He arched his eyebrows. He was so adorable when he did that. It brought back so many memories.

"I wouldn't be surprised," she narrowed her eyes, searching for some imperfection, any clue that he wasn't what he seemed.

"So what do I do to prove myself to you? Quote a line from your favorite movie? Tell you the name of our neighbor's third dog? Play a few lines of 'Petals Through the Wind'?"

Effie's eyes brightened. 'Petals Through the Wind'…she mouthed the words as the song ran through her mind. It was their song. A song he had written just for her. Only the real him would know about it. It only took a few moments for her to race forward and throw her arms around him.

"It's really you, Nathan. It's really you."

"Watch it, babe. Don't rumple the ensemble," he pushed her away gently, playfully smoothing out his shirt. "And cut it with the Nathan stuff. In case you forgot, no one's called me that for years. I changed my name too, before it became all hip." She smiled and shook her head. God, she had missed him so much.

"Sorry, Lynx. I didn't mean to cramp your style."

"No foul, darling, just don't do it again."

"Seriously, though, what are you doing out here? How did you get into this dimension, for one thing? And why?" He smiled and spread his arms wide again, looking very messianic.

"I work in mysterious ways, hon." Effie rolled her eyes at her brother's non-answer. And people wondered where she got it from.

"How have you been? Have someone special in your life?" He reached into his pocket to pull out a small, square pair of violet-tinted sunglasses. He slid them on, then tilted his head down to look over the lenses at her.

"Are you kidding, Blossy? I think all the hot guys followed you on your great adventure. They are seriously scarce back home."

"Lynx, it's Wyoming. _People_ are scarce," she reminded him, laughing at the new nickname he had already bestowed on her.

"Too true. Too true."

"And…Mom and Dad?" She looked away, but the pain was evident in her voice, "How are they?"

"Alive," he replied simply, but he wrapped his long arms around her again.

"They haven't come around yet," she said, sounding frustrated, angry and sad, all at once. She strained against his embrace, but he held her tight.

"Tell you the truth, I'm not sure I've entirely come around. These things take time."

"Oh, so a few years hasn't been plenty of time? I'm not going to wait around for them to decide to approve," she stared down at his hands and trailed her own hand over his slender fingers, "I can't afford to."

"I think that has something to do with it," he reminded her gently. Effie rolled her eyes and summoned the strength to break out of his arms.

"Don't you dare, _Nathan_," she stressed his real name out of the pure spite that had suddenly filled her, "Don't you dare get all high and mighty with me. You were the one who inspired me to break out of the little box I was living in, you know!"

"And I regret it. Every single day." His voice was so filled with pain, Effie had to relent.

"Don't," she was quiet, but he could hear her perfectly, "I'm not ashamed of the life I chose. It's my life, and I can do whatever I want with it."

"I know you can," he whispered. Effie bit her lip to hold back tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"So," she forced her voice to become chipper, determined to lighten the mood, "what am I gonna tell my friends about the exceedingly attractive man in my room?"

"Tell them…" he contemplated for an instant before curling his lips into the satisfied cat grin that had earned him his nickname. "Tell them that I am your Eurotrash lover," he threw on a terrible French accent and began to gesticulate madly, "that has tracked you down so I may force you to be my love slave." He seized her hand and pulled her close. "Oh, dahling, let me press my lips over every square inch of your body."

Lynx had a rough time holding onto his little sister, she was shaking so hard with uncontrollable laughter. She was overcome by the sheer joy of having him by her side once again. And she would never let him go.

**It had been early morning when Miyu and Larva were revived.** Effie and Duo had shown them to a cabin shortly after fixing a "five-o-clock breakfast" and retiring to bed themselves. Now it was nearly noon. Miyu sat alone in the cabin, thinking quietly and looking up at the low wooden ceiling not commonly associated with a high-tech spacecraft.

"Wow…there must be something _really_ interesting up there that only you can see," a voice commented.

Miyu turned to see a tall blond girl around Effie's age standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sorry?" she tilted her head slightly, trying to remember the girl from the night before. It hit her then that she had not been there.

Tabby smirked and held out her hand. "You must be the new girl. I'm Tabby."

"Miyu," the vampire replied, shaking it.

The taller girl looked around. "Wasn't there supposed to be a guy with you?"

"He's not here at the moment," Miyu answered. "I could find him for you, if you like."

She shrugged. "If you want. Just wanted to let you know there's lunch ready in the kitchen if you're hungry. Or…you're another vamp, right? Do you even eat?"

"I don't have to. But I'd like to meet the rest of you, if that's possible," she responded.

Tabby grinned. "Figured curiosity'd get the better of you sooner or later. Well, come on. Don't know about you, but I'm starved."

The two females made their way to the galley, which resembled some sort of 1950's Earth style kitchen, complete with metal dining table and chairs, most of which were occupied. Besides that, Saxen stood at a counter drinking a steaming cup of chai, Moksha was laying half asleep beneath the table, and Duo was fixing himself a sandwich. The only person missing seemed to be Effie.

"Look who finally decided to stop being antisocial!" Tabby announced as she led Miyu inside. Duo waved cheerfully, while the other vampire smiled and the two older ones nodded.

"Well let's see. Time to introduce the posse," Tabby grinned. "As I said, I'm Tabby. You already know Duo, I hear. Effie too, but who knows where she ran off to. The vampy girl over there is Dru, and the big guy is Van Helsing. Under there you'll see our resident critter, Moksha. And the scary chick with the one eye is Saxen."

"Flattering, Tabby. I'm obliged," Saxen commented, causingDru to burst into giggles and Van Helsing to crack a small smile.

The blond girl put an arm around her. "Always a pleasure, Saxie dear."

"Don't touch me."

Miyu raised an eyebrow. Were these people really the ones who….killed? Larva and herself the night before? They looked the same. As her eyes wandered to Van Helsing she could almost feel the arrows from his crossbow in her chest again.

"They all seem pretty normal now, don't they Miyu? Not much power at all," a gentle voice pointed out.

Miyu blinked as she found Shiina perched in her usual spot on her shoulder. "Shiina? How did you get here?"

"Whoa! What the hell is that thing?" Duo cried, jumping up from his chair.

"Hmph. I'm not a thing," the beast called Shiina commented. "My name's Shiina. I'm Miyu's assistant."

Saxen paused and looked at the creature. "Was it supposed to come to?" she murmured. "Washu didn't mention anything…"

"Not to worry, little one," Dru replied, taking a sip of tea from her cup. "The cute beast is not unlike poor Miss Edith, or the magic tome, or the red one. An accessory, nothing more, nothing less. Needn't worry."

"And you would know this how?" Duo asked.

Dru giggled and tapped his nose. "Secret, little knight. A fun secret, not for telling, no no."

Saxen rolled her eyes and looked at Van Helsing. "You're experienced with vampires. Any idea why she's so strange and Miyu is so normal?"

He shrugged. "I've never seen anything like either of them."

"You're a vampire hunter?" Miyu looked at the dark man.

Van Helsing paused. "I used to be. Not solely vampires; whatever I was sent to take care of. But now, I just do what Washu asks me to."

"Washu?"

"That, would be me."

Tabby screeched as the short woman appeared in solid form next to her. "What the hell…? DO NOT DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!!!"

Washu giggled and patted her arm. "Sorry. Hm, this is the first time you and I have met face to face too, isn't it Tabby? Although, I did catch you last night when you were passed out. I'm amazed at your lack of hangover. Natural gift or did you get help?"

"Van man made a nasty-ass cure, if that's what you're asking."

"It is. Thank you, Gabriel."

"Don't mention it," Van Helsing replied nonchalantly.

"Now then," Washu turned to face Miyu. "Welcome to our humble little family, Miyu. I am Washu, Goddess of Jurai. And you, whether or not you choose to believe it, are Miyu the Judge, Goddess of Justice. And your partner, wherever he may have disappeared off too, is Larva the Executioner, God of Justice."

"What?"

"It's the reason we had to kill you, Miyu," Duo answered. "Effie tried to explain it to Larva, but I don't know if he understands fully."

"You're not alone either babe," Tabby smiled reassuringly. "All of us, minus Effie and Saxie and the wolf, we're all gods and goddesses of some sort. I get to be Chaos. Cool, no?"

"And if you couldn't tell already, I'm the God of Death," Duo winked. "Van Helsing is the God of the Hunt, and Dru is the Goddess of Majick."

Miyu looked at Saxen and Fire Blossom. "So what about you two?"

"Just staff," Saxen replied. "I'm a bounty hunter by trade. Moksha's my partner. And Fire Blossom is just here to make a nuisance of herself."

"Ooh...I'm telling her you said that!" Duo grinned. Saxen rolled her eye and took another sip from her mug.

Washu put an arm around Miyu's shoulders. "So you see, you're actually in very good company here. And for all intensive purposes, these folks are your family now, so you'd better get used to it!"

The young vampire said nothing. Awkward silence filled the galley.

Finally, Washu stepped back. "Well, that's all I got to tell you guys for now. I'll check back in a while with your next target. Until then—"

"Wait! Washu, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Maverick cut in. One catlike eye narrowed and shot her a look of impatience. But the hardened bounty hunter had dealt with worse, and she just shook it off and lead the goddess into the hallway.

"Huh. Wonder what that's about?" Duo wondered, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

**"What is it, Saxen?" **Washu asked, hands on her hips as she tilted her back up to take in the Gaganite's full height.

"I need to ask you about something that happened last night when we were fighting Miyu and Larva. Something happened to the others," she said.

"That's a very general problem, Saxen. Pick up the pace please."

"Duo had wings. Dru could control both Miyu and Effie's fire powers. And I already told you that Van Helsing was able to see through the others' eyes. Why?" she asked.

"Why are you worried?"

"Because it's not normal!"

"How do you know what is and isn't normal for beings of their status?"

"You know you're only making me trust you less when you don't answer the question. What are you hiding?" Saxen asked, orange eye glittering.

"Nothing. They're just changing, that's all. Their powers already have holds on their souls. Now they're just starting to affect they're bodies. That's all. Duo has wings because the God of Death is a demon from Hell. If Duo had been born a demon, there would be little change. But his body has to adapt to his soul. The Goddess of Majick was a sorceress, but Dru has no magical abilities to speak of, so her power is to control those of others. As for Van Helsing, he is the ultimate hunter. The mental link helps him see through the eyes of his prey. It's all very natural," Washu explained, sounding a bit like a mother trying to explain puberty to a child.

"So what is going to happen to Miyu and Tabby?" Maverick pressed.

"I don't know for sure. When it comes to Chaos, there are no rules. I wouldn't be surprised if Tabby's skin started changing colors. As for Miyu...I think she's still trying to accept the change in her destiny. Her physical appearance may not alter for quite some time yet."

Saxen still didn't look convinced, but Washu didn't seem to care. "Now, I have to get back to work finding your next little friend. You should relax a bit, Saxen. I think this is getting too stressful for you."

"I'm fine," she hissed, clenching her fist.

Washu stared at her, grinned, and vanished.

Maverick narrowed her eye. "My you burn eternally in the thousandth hell, Washu."

"Thousandth hell? Last time I counted, there was only one," an unfamiliar voice commented.

Reflexively, Saxen drew a revolver and spun to face a tall young man with messy violet hair.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" she growled.

Effie stepped out from behind the amused boy. "Saxie, easy. This is Lynx. He's my older brother."

"You're what?"

"Yep," Lynx smiled jovially, putting an arm around his sister's shoulder. "Can't you see the family resemblence?"

"Not particularly, no," she answered, suspicion still clear on her face.

"Maverick? What is it?" Van Helsing stepped out into the hallway. He cocked his head as he looked at Lynx. "Who're you?"

"Effie's brother, apparently," the bounty hunter answered.

"My name's Lynx. A pleasure," he held out his hand and grinned. Van Helsing warily shook it.

"Van Helsing."

"And this is Saxie!" Effie grinned enthusiastically, practically leaping onto her friend.

"Do not touch me," the older girl muttered, shoving her off, then looking back at Lynx. "My name is Saxen Maverick."

"Hm…I like Saxie better," Lynx replied.

"Mother Vyasa…"

"Well, don't just stand there! Come on! You have to meet the rest of the posse!"

Saxen looked mournfully at Van Helsing. "I'm going to my cabin."

**At Miyu's request,** Shiina had left to join Larva while the former Guardian explored the mazelike passages of the _Tsunami_. She had been wandering aimlessly for a few hours now, and yet, seemed to know exactly where she was at all times. But when she rounded a corner to come face to face with Saxen's blood red wolf, Moksha, she took a step back in surprise.

"Are you all right?" the wolf asked in a voice like wood smoke and spices.

Miyu nodded. "Yes, just a little startled."

"I'm sorry," Moksha apologized. He was pleased to find that Miyu was not at all surprised at his ability to speak. The only other person who knew was Saxen, and possibly Dru. There was so much that girl seemed to be able to find out…

"What are you doing out here?" Miyu asked him, crouching down so she could stare into his gold eyes.

Moksha cocked his head in a canine version of a shrug. "Saxen is in a mood. I tend to leave her alone when she doesn't need me. There was no place better to go. May I walk with you a while?"

"I don't mind," Miyu answered, rising up and continuing down the hallway, the wolf next to her. She looked down at it curiously. "You didn't speak to me in the kitchen."

"I tend not to if it isn't necessary," Moksha replied. "The others don't know I can. It frightens some people. But I knew it wouldn't frighten you. Not when your assistant is also a creature that talks."

"Miss Saxen knows?"

"Oh of course. Saxen knows most everything there is to know about me. She and I are not unlike your companion Larva and yourself, I think."

"I see…what about the other one? Effie?"

"Effie will find out when the time comes. My part to play will come soon. Until then, I am content to continue as I have. I have grown fond of the Sacred Ones, and Fire Blossom. I have tried to become friends with all of them," Moksha paused and looked up at her. "Shall you and I be friends, Miyu?"

She smiled slightly. "We could. It has been some time since I have had friends."

Moksha turned to face forward and continued walking. "A shame. I think you will become friends with everyone here. They are your brothers and sisters, you know."

"Yes. Washu spoke of it like that. It makes the transition easier for me. They are all very kind, if not strange."

"Very strange," Moksha agreed. "And everyone has their secrets, and their desires. But you can see them, of course. You _are_ the Judge, after all. But they are not a bad lot. There is goodness in them all."

Miyu stopped and thought hard before she spoke again.

"Yes…I believe I have seen it, now that I think about it. Goodness in them all…"

The two continued down the hallway.


	19. Chapter 18

Selenity owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina and Frank. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 18:

Flirt. Dress. Rum.

**Effie stood in front of Lynx**, standing on tiptoe to smooth his collar. Saxen had exited the corridor and Van Helsing had politely excused himself. They weren't sure where he had disappeared to. She took a deep breath. She loved Lynx of course. More than anyone else in her life. But he could be so, so…unsocial.

"Now, these are my friends, so I want you to be nice" she said, sounding like she might have been speaking to a preschooler. Lynx smiled lazily and tilted his head.

"When have I not been nice"

"I'm hoping that's rhetorical" Effie replied with a wry smile and, taking a deep breath, pulled him into the galley. Duo and Tabby were still inside. They had begun eating, but seemed to have abandoned that plan in favor of flicking napkin balls at each other in some kind of impromptu sport. Tabby was winning. They looked up quickly when they heard her enter.

"Oh, hey Eff, we were just" Duo cut himself off when he noticed the other man standing next to his friend. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Who's he"

"This is my brother, Lynx. Lynx, this is Tabby and Duo." She forced a smile. Tabby smiled broadly.

"It's nice to meet you. Effie talks about you all the, well, never." Her enthusiasm didn't dim. Effie regarded her in slight shock. She wasn't blind, she knew her brother was definitely an attractive man. But still…

"Charmed." Lynx shot her a very bored look through his sunglasses, then focused his attention on Duo.

"What's he doing here" Duo asked Effie, the smile stuck on his face very tight and obviously fake.

"Feeling protective, sweetheart" Lynx approached the younger boy looking very feline and predatory. "Aww, aren't you just the cutest little thing" He licked his lips quickly and smiled toothily. Duo gave him a very befuddled look.

"What are you"

"I'd love to get to know you better" he tilted his head down so he was staring at Duo through locks of his unnaturally colored hair. "I'm sure we'll get along well. _Very_ well."

"Lynx. My cabin. Now." Lynx looked like he was going to respond, but quickly quailed under the wrath of Fire Blossom. He exited the room, but not without one last look at Duo.

"Effie, is he really your brother" Duo asked, looking very uncomfortable.

"Guilty" she said with an embarrassed shrug.

"How old is he" Tabby asked, leaning out the galley door, trying to get another glimpse of him.

"Around twenty."

"Do you think he'd date a younger woman" She asked, fixing her hair and smiling a smile not unlike Lynx's own. Effie had to try and contain the giggles she was suddenly overcome by.

"No. Definitely not."

"You don't want to date him, Tabby. No offense Effie, but he's weird. Does he treat everybody that way, or was he just trying to freak me out"

"Well, umm" her hands suddenly became unbelievably fascinating"he was, well…he was kind of hitting on you."

"What" Duo and Tabby cried in unison.

_**Effie stood on a pier.** The wind was blowing, ruffling her hair. It was very dark, but every time she tried to create a ball of fire to light her surroundings, it got blown out. Turning around, she made out the shape of a man walking toward her. As he came closer, she was able to make out a few of his features. He had long, scraggly black hair, a red bandanna, two braids in his beard and was wearing plenty of beads and things, some knotted into his hair. He opened his mouth to speak to her-_

"Effie! Wake up"

She sat up quickly in bed. Another weird dream…what could this one mean? Saxen stood at the door to her cabin.

"We're on the job. Washu just sent us into the dimension of the new Sacred One."

"Oh. That's good" she pushed herself out of bed, straightening her nightshirt.

"Washu told me we should go to Drusilla's room."

"Dru? Why" Effie asked curiously, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. Saxen fixed her eye on Effie.

"Only Vyasa knows why Washu does anything" she commented. Effie laughed.

"So true, Saxen."

After she was satisfied with her appearance, Effie joined Saxen and the two made their way to the vampire's chambers. Once they reached the door, they looked at each other. Effie raised her hand slowly to knock, but the door swung open. Drusilla stood in the doorway, looking very pleased with herself.

"Come in, preciouses, come in and see what daughter has made for mummy's birthday."

Saxen gave Effie a questioning glance, and the younger woman shrugged. They entered the room.

Miyu and Tabby were already there. They were shuffling through what appeared to be a large, antique armoire.

"These are so cool" Tabby grinned excitedly. "I mean, totally out of style, but it's neat"

"The firecracker is pleased with our work, Miss Edith" Drusilla told her doll with a brilliant smile"There shall be cakes and punch after supper tonight."

"What are we doing" Saxen asked, always the level-headed one.

"Well, since apparently the new Sacred One is like in the way past, Drusilla is lending us dresses so we don't stick out like hobos at the society ball." Ignoring the strange simile, Effie came forward first. Sure enough, Drusilla's wardrobe was packed full of gorgeous old dresses.

"Wow, Dru! Are these all yours"

"This and those, a bit and a bite, vixen."

"Right" Effie was so engrossed in shuffling through the gowns, she didn't bother being confused by Drusilla's strange words. She chose one and pulled it out, holding up to herself.

"So guys, what do" she looked back and noticed Saxen still standing back by the door. "Saxie, what's up"

"I do not wear dresses."

"Oh, come on, girl, it's just being undercover" Tabby said"I mean, floor-length isn't my style, but I'm playing along."

"I will not wear a dress" Saxen insisted coolly, crossing her arms. "And that is final."

**"Vyasa, help me."** Saxen prayed quietly, fidgeting with her skirt. Her dress was a deep, forest green with light tan vines patterned across it. Her hair was still in her usual austere braid, but Effie and Tabby had wrapped it into a complex looking bun. She brushed a strand of hair away from her eye-patch, which looked severely out of place.

"Oh, stop complaining. I think it's kind of fun" Effie did a small twirl. Her rose colored gown had several frilled layers in the skirt, as well as plenty of lace around the neckline. She stopped, placed a hand on her stomach, and inhaled as best she could. "Except the corset. How did girls wear these things all day long"

"Slaves to fashion" Tabby said. "This was way before women's lib." She fiddled with one of her long, pleated white sleeves. The bodice of her dress was a deep navy, and the skirt was navy as well, with a long white ruffle around it.

"I feel at home. Mummy's cooking in the kitchen, and Miss Edith is trying to steal the plum pudding" Drusilla said with a bright smile, wrapping her arms around herself and spinning around. Her dress suited her perfectly, a luxurious scarlet with a plunging neckline and gold lacing. These were the kind of clothes she wore regularly, and she truly was right at home.

"It's not so bad" Miyu remarked slowly. Her dress was a smoky charcoal, not very fancy, but still very pretty.

"Can we deal with the fact that I'm wearing _tights_ for a moment" Duo asked, pulling on said tights and scowling.

"Well, we didn't have knee socks or anything for you, Duo. You have to blend in" Effie told him, trying very hard not to laugh. Van Helsing had no comment. He, like, Dru, was not dressed drastically different than usual. Lynx had remained onboard _Tsunami_, as most people in the past did not have purple hair. He had flashed Duo a very toothy smile as they left, which did not make Duo very happy at all.

"Well, we're not going to find a Sacred One just standing in the street" Saxen loaded her revolver and slipped it into her bodice. Van Helsing arched his eyebrows at her, but she ignored him. "So let's get this over with so I can get out of this torture device."

Obeying the grumpy bounty hunter, the group filed into a tavern. They were immediately met with a cacophony of sounds, women and men laughing, screaming and talking, drinks being poured, chairs scraping and slamming. It was packed, and they were pressed against from all sides as they made their way through.

"Lech" Tabby muttered under breath as a rather oily looking man stared at her. She wasn't alone. The five women had attracted a great deal of attention when they entered. Duo put a protective arm around Effie's shoulder and glared around the room, daring anyone to make a move on her.

Saxen was not so lucky. Despite her stony expression, it was only a few minutes after they entered that a man approached her, a very stupid smile on his face.

"'Allo there" he began, grinning and displaying quite a few missing or broken teeth.

He was cut off by the sudden realization that he was staring down the barrel of her trusty revolver.

"If you can get only one thing through your thick skull tonight, let it be this. Look at me again and I swear to mighty Vyasa, I will remove any reason you may have to desire and see anything I might have to show you."

He was not an intelligent man, but he knew that there were less violent women who would be more than happy to go with him elsewhere in the tavern. He left rather quickly, and Saxen stowed her gun again.

"Very nicely handled" Van Helsing whispered as he came up behind her.

"Thank you."

**They spent about an hour searching the tavern**. When Effie could not find a Sacred One anywhere within, they exited into the alley.

"When we find this one, I'm getting in on the action" Tabby boxed the air"You ditched me last time and I'm not gonna be left out."

"Right, Tabby" Effie smiled slightly. "All yours."

Stumbling footsteps interrupted them. Saxen quickly cocked her revolver and Van Helsing reached for his crossbow. The others tensed, ready to fight. As the smog in the alley began to blow aside, the walker came into view. He seemed barely able to stay on his feet, swaying dangerously. He also appeared to be singing to himself under his breath. Effie squinted at him, then her eyes widened.

"That's him" she said in a hushed tone, so only her friends could hear"That's my dream guy." There was silence and several odd looks.

"You sure Effie? He's kind of…" Tabby searched for the word. "Drunk." Fire Blossom puzzled for a second before she blushed slightly.

"No! Let me rephrase: that's the guy from my dream."

"Oh." A collective sigh swept through the group. But by now, the man had come upon them.

"Yo ho, yo ho…" he looked up and reeled slightly before his eyes focused on them. "Oh. Hello there. If one of you lovely ladies would be so kind as to point me in the direction of the nearest tavern" he slung an arm around Effie's shoulder"I would be happy to buy you a drink." Effie seemed slightly uncomfortable but still calm at his selection until she realized that he was looking down her dress. Pushing him off she growled.

"Pervert" Then her eyes went out of focus for a moment. She could see the power. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me"

"What is it"

"He's the Sacred One."

"What" Tabby threw her hands in the air. "I cannot believe this! You guys go out and you fight a super-powerful vampire chick and her demon lackey. When it's my turn, I get a dude who's so drunk he can't find his own way to buy booze! This sucks."

"You wouldn't happen to have rum, would ya luv" The Sacred One ignored the others, instead slurring at Drusilla. She smiled broadly and toothily.

"Better than that, precious darling. Much better than nasty rum." She swayed towards him. Van Helsing started to stop her, but Saxen held out a hand to hold him back. The group watched in mesmerized silence as Drusilla reached him and kissed him, first gently, then more passionately.

At first he looked confused, but the Sacred One quickly wrapped his arms around her. When she drew back, she smiled at him. But this smile was not predatory like her first one. It was gentle and soft.

"Let me save you." She gently pulled him down until they both lay on the road. She then, slowly, drew one of her long nails across his throat. She cradled him to her dead heart as the blood poured out of him. When finally his face turned pale and cold, she stood, pulling him up with her. "Homeward bound, lovies"


	20. Chapter 19

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, Frank, and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 19:

Jack. Secret. Relationship.

**When Saxen walked into the cold brightness of the infirmary with Moksha and Van Helsing,**she was no longer wearing a dress and appeared far more pleased than she had been before. Clothed in a black t-shirt and camo pants, she walked over to the medical table where the newest acquisition lay unconscious.

"Figure out who he is?" she looked at the distraught Effie pacing the room.

She shook her head. "No…and I don't think it's good that Dru like, drained every ounce of blood in the guy."

"Had to do it, love" Dru replied from the other side of the table, where she sat cuddling Miss Edith.

Fire Blossom rolled her eyes. "What happened to the others?"

"Tabby and Miyu are changing, and I believe your brother is busy stalking Duo."

The younger girl groaned and put a hand over her face. "I have _got _to have a talk with those boys."

Van Helsing was about to say something as Dru suddenly stood up, set her doll on the chair, and swept over to the medical table.

"Time to wake up now, dearie. You'll miss breakfast." With those gentle words, she bent down and kissed the man with surprising force. When she pulled away, he appeared a little less inebriated and a bit more confused.

"Now what happened here?" he looked around, then faced Dru. "Where'd you take me, lass?"

"It's home, silly" she grinned, then pointed to the others. "You see? With the red one, and the vixen, and the she-wolf, and the angel."

"A pleasure" he stood slowly and bowed. "Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service."

"Pleasure's ours, Jack" Effie replied. "My name's Fire Blossom, but everyone calls me Effie."

"Gabriel Van Helsing" the one Dru had called the "the angel" said.

"Saxen Maverick. This is Moksha" a tall tan woman introduced, pointing to the red wolf at her feet.

Jack squinted, then appeared to be counting. "Weren't there more of you?"

"Hell yeah," Tabby announced, walking in with Miyu, Duo, and Lynx in tow. She walked over and slapped him on the shoulder. "Good to see you up and about. Van give you some of his cure?"

"I don't know. Did you?" he asked. Van Helsing shook his head.

The blond girl grinned. "You're lucky. Nasty stuff. Yeah, anyways, in case you didn't know. I'm Tabby, and this little sweetheart here is Miyu. That's Duo, and Effie's brother Lynx."

The last man smirked and leaned against the wall. "Another guy, huh? That's good. This thing is overrun with chicks. Not that there's anything wrong with that," Lynx added quickly, after receiving a glare from Effie.

"Now mate," Jack said, putting one arm around Dru and another around Tabby. "Nothing wrong with feminine company."

Tabby's eyes flashed as she raised her hand and slapped him. "Hands off the merchandise, reggae-man."

"What?" he asked innocently.

She slapped him again, then walked over to Van Helsing. "Give him the nasty stuff. Like, now." With that, she made one of her ever-gracious exits. Jack simply shrugged and put his arm around Effie.

Duo glared, then yanked her away. "Okay, for the record, Effie's off limits."

"What the…hey, you don't own me!"

"Well, you want him all over you?"

Effie thought a moment. "Actually…no." She looked apologetically at Jack. "No offense. You're just kinda old for me."

"Not for me" Lynx smiled, then frowned as he inhaled the scent of alcohol. "But seriously dude, the rum or whatever has got to go."

"Give up rum?" the man repeated uncomprehendingly.

Lynx sighed. "No claims here."

"And for the record, Miyu's a vampire and she has a really scary demon bodyguard guy, so no hitting on her. That pretty much leaves you with Saxen and Dru," Effie supplied.

As the new addition's gaze fell upon her, the bounty hunter's face hardened. "You will die a quick but painful death." She threatened.

Duo grinned. "Saxie's a violent one."

Jack looked at the girl his arm was still wrapped around. "So I'm going to assume you're Dru."

"I am," she answered. "My name's Drusilla."

"She's a vampire too," Duo said matter-of-factly.

"And he's a pirate," Dru replied, looking at Jack.

Saxen raised an eyebrow. "Pirate?"

"The best. Why?" Jack asked.

"I hunt pirates for a living."

"Oh. That's not why I'm here, is it?"

"No. You're here because you're a god of something or another, but we're not really sure what," Effie said.

"God?"

"Yep. So are we. See there's this place called Jurai, and it already had some Goddesses, but they're don't waste time doing menial things like controlling the planet, so that's our job," Duo commented.

"Is it hard?"

"Don't know. Haven't actually done anything yet."

"Not hard, sheepies. Help the she-wolf and the vixen get their blood. Then we eat cake," Drusilla explained. "You are the naughty one. Take without asking, no cake for you. But steal cake for us, and she is pleased. Help us please, thief."

Jack shrugged. "All right."

"So this makes him god of…what" Duo asked.

"Thieves" Miyu supplied.

The pilot frowned. "How do you know"

"She's the judge, isn't she" Maverick pointed out, turning to leave the room. "She ought to know all the facts. I'll be in my cabin if anyone needs me."

"Okay" Effie replied cheerfully, then looked at Jack. "Well, let's see. You must be hungry."

"Famished" he answered nonchalantly. "And if you've got a drink..."

"We don't," Fire Blossom answered firmly.

Van Helsing smiled slightly and pulled a flask out of his coat. "I've got absinthe."

The hippie glared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be off brooding somewhere"

He laughed and ruffled her hair, then handed the bottle to Jack. "Don't blame me if they all jump on you at once to take it away."

"Right then," Jack nodded to Van Helsing. "Here's to you mate." With that, he took a deep swig…

…and looked as though he was going to be violently ill.

Lynx looked at the vampire slayer. "No way in hell was that absinthe. What was that stuff?"

Brown eyes glittered from beneath Van Helsing's shaggy hair. "Hangover cure."

**Tabby yawned and stretched as she made her way down the hallway.** With Miyu and Van Helsing hiding, Saxen meditating in her prayer hall, and the others all still hanging out with the pirate, she was becoming intensively bored. Rounding a corner, she came to her own cabin, a typical teenager's bedroom, complete from the dirty clothes on the floor to the posters of rock stars on the ceiling. After she had arrived on the _Tsunami _the others had explained how they had found rooms not unlike ones they were used to, or at the very least rooms they had enjoyed. She had been inside Effie's, Miyu's, Dru's, and Duo's, but never in Saxen's or Van Helsing's. Tabby shrugged. May as well go exploring for them.

After walking down an impossible number of hallways and down to what seemed the very bottom of the ship, she came across a dark and narrow corridor with only about four doors. One was open, and a dim light came from inside.

Poking her head in, she grinned. "Jackpot," she whispered as she entered Saxen's inner sanctum.

The first thing she noticed was that it was absurdly plain. The only decoration was a huge map of what looked like the entire known universe on the wall. The furniture was low and plain, and made out of what looked like fake wood. The light came from a lamp hanging over a desk in the corner, and shone on a stack of papers scattered across the surface. Walking over, she picked one up and began to read.

_Ariens,_

_I hope all is well with you and the rest of the order. I was pleased to hear you had received my other letters. I was not sure Washu would be able to deliver them. I hope Our Mother does not find it offensive that she enters her house. Though if she did, I could certainly understand why._

_We came upon another of them today. He is a pirate who calls himself Captain Jack Sparrow. I do not think he will be an interference, which is more than I can say for the others. I know they mean well, especially Fire Blossom, but I think they fail to see the differences between themselves and me. I also worry about Mr. Van Helsing. I find myself thinking of him often, and have come to enjoy his company. I fear he is becoming a distraction to me, but I am not certain of what actions I should take in order to keep him away._

_There is little else for me to write here. Be on your guard always, and hopefully I will be able to meet with you before long. Vyasa keep you well._

_Saxen_

Tabby frowned. A letter? Washu was delivering letters from Saxen to someone named Ariens? Who the hell was that? And she wanted to get rid of Van Helsing?

She was about to pick up another letter from the desk when she became aware of eyes on her. Turning, she saw Moksha standing in the corner, gold eyes locked on her. He made no noise, but there was a clear aura of displeasure from the wolf.

Tabby laughed nervously and held up her hands. "Hey Moksha, old pal. How you doin'?"

He made no move.

She slowly backed towards the door. "Just read one letter" she explained. "You won't tell Sax, will you? Naw. Thanks Moksha. Um…good dog."

With that, she was gone.

**Effie found Duo sitting in the main room, **staring out the huge windows at the endless expanse of space. Walking up next to him, she pressed her face against the window. "What are you looking at?"

He laughed at her actions, and put his hands in his pockets. "Nothing," he turned away. "I've seen it all before."

Fire Blossom looked at him cynically. "You've seen all of space."

"Well, not _all_ of it. But a lot. At least…the space around my world. I think it was my world anyways…"

Effie laughed. "It's a little confusing, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he smiled.

She paused a moment. "Duo? Why were you fighting in that war?"

He shrugged. "Didn't have anything better to do."

"Nothing better to do?" Effie repeated. "What about school? Your family?"

"Didn't go, don't have any," Duo's voice softened. "All I've ever known is fighting. And hunger."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Duo leaned against the windows and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling. "I never knew my parents. I think they died. The earliest thing I can remember is seeing our house get destroyed so that a new intelligence base could be set up. They were already gone by then. I was living on the streets by then with some other orphans like me."

"Oh Duo…" Fire Blossom murmured. "I'm sorry."

He smiled weakly at her. "Hey, don't worry about it. It got better. I was only an urchin for a few more years. Then I just got sick of it. I decided to go to Earth, and snuck on a salvage ship. The guy who owned it caught me, and it turned out he was a scientist who had built Deathscythe. He trained me to pilot it, and before I knew it I was fighting to protect the colonies."

"What about those other guys who you fought with? How'd you meet them?"

"Who, Heero and the others? That's kind of a weird story. They all came from different backgrounds, but sooner or later we were all in the same situation. It just made more sense to work with each other than against each other."

Something occurred to him then, and he looked at Fire Blossom. "Effie…the last time I saw them, they were on board here. What happened to them?"

She laughed nervously and pressed her fingers together. "Well, that's kind of funny…you see, they watched you and Saxie fight it out, and after she killed you, they got kinda mad. At me, in particular. Probably because I'm the brains of this operation," she smiled weakly, but Duo didn't seem to notice.

"Well anyways," Effie went on. "I talked them into not killing me, and then Van Helsing knocked them out. He's a tough guy, but I got pretty mad at him after that. At that point, Saxen had brought you back and dropped you off in the infirmary. She said it would be a good idea just to send them off with their own machines, so she and Van went off, buckled them in, and pushed them out. I wasn't sure it was safe, but I asked Washu a while later and she said they were all right. You can even ask her yourself next time she comes. Point is: they're all okay. Now the rest of us, we're screwed if we ever run into them again, because they think we killed you, but…please don't be mad."

There was an agonizing awkward silence, and then Duo burst into laughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "You are too much Eff."

She smiled back. "As long as you still like me."

"Yeah I like you" his expression softened. "I like you a lot, Effie. More than I could have guessed."

Fire Blossom noticed the change in his voice, and her heart began to beat a little faster. "I like you a lot too, Duo. We're friends."

"Just friends?" he asked.

She blushed slightly and turned away. "Um…well, if you want."

"I like being friends. I don't know if I really want to stop there though," he put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her.

"So…where do you want to stop?" Effie whispered.

"I don't know," Duo answered.

She closed her eyes as he leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around him as his lips met hers. For one brief moment, she forgot she was in the middle of space on a gargantuan spacecraft with several vampires, hunters, pirates, and who knew what else, on the biggest adventure of her life. She was happy.


	21. Chapter 20

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, Frank and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha

Chapter 20:

Thinking. Welcome. Different.

**Lynx sat quietly in Effie's cabin.** He stared into space, uncharacteristically thoughtful. He was never one to be silent, or introspective. But recent events definitely merited some thought. He hadn't intended to stay. Just stop by, see Effie again, possibly make her think it was only a dream. Then be on his way. There was so much for him to deal with these days. But he found her, and he found he couldn't leave her.

She was such a very long way from home. It didn't bother him…his home had never been fixed in one specific place. He was just everywhere. But his little Kathy? She loved everything about her town. Her house, her friends, even her school. He didn't think it had quite set in for her that she had gone much too far to turn back.

He shifted his gaze to his own hands and sighed. _Home_. Did she miss it yet? She would. He knew she would. She thought he couldn't see. But he saw. He saw everything. He saw the way she was with Duo. He even glimpsed what would end up happening. He wished he could prevent it, but it was not his place. He really had surprisingly little influence over unfolding events.

There were really was nothing he could do. Things would happen. Things always happened. He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying to subdue the headache that was forming quickly. Too much thinking was never good. But sometimes, even Lynx couldn't help it.

**Larva too was silent.** However, that was not such a surprise. He stood, barring the door to Miyu's cabin, a silent and sinister sentinel. He was not fully in this reality, giving him a slightly transparent look. He awaited Miyu's command. Larva was not sure if the other "passengers" aboard _Tsunami_ truly understood the depth of his bond with the vampire girl. It was of no consequence, however.

He was only a guard now, and a spy. Watching the other Sacred Ones for signs of danger. The new one intrigued him. The others did not know he had seen him yet. Lingering just outside reality, he watched as the filthy man was greeted by his fellows. 'Scary demon bodyguard guy'. That's what the young blonde had called him. A smirk had twisted his hidden lips before he could control his emotion. If she only knew…

"Hello? Jurai to Larva…are you in there?" He looked down quickly at the redheaded goddess staring up at him with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Yes?" He asked, a tiny bit surprised that she had noticed him.

"If you had been listening you would know that I was looking for the God of Thieves. Any chance you could point me in the right direction?" Washu tapped her foot impatiently. Without speaking, Larva slowly raised a long arm and pointed towards the galley, unaware that between his motions and the cloak he wore, he was invoking serious images of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Not bothering to thank him, Washu huffed off down the hallway and Larva resumed his post.

**When Washu reached the galley, she was not surprised by what she saw.** Only Drusilla and Jack remained in the room. Jack was still spluttering from the surprise administration of the hangover cure, and was speaking very colorfully about Van Helsing's ancestry, hobbies and relationships with close relatives. Dru was listening appreciatively, nodding rhythmically.

"So, you're the God of Thieves," Washu leaned against the doorframe with a smile. "I thought you'd be…cleaner."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, madam," he bowed, sweeping off his hat and smiling brightly at her. "Sparrow's the name. Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Washu. Goddess of Jurai. Nice to meetcha."

"The same, I'm sure," he said elegantly, refusing to be ruffled by either the mention of her divine status or her current slang.

"This is mother hen, with the red feathers," Drusilla told him in a stage whisper, "doesn't like to be ruffled, doesn't like to be bothered with the whispers of the mortal coil. But she can't very well escape it, can she love?"

"I reckon she can't," Jack agreed. Washu smiled at his mild manner and silent acceptance of the vampire's insanity. This was bound to be an interesting one.

**"Come then,"** Drusilla grasped Jack's hands and pulled him closer to her as the door to her cabin shut quietly. "Give mummy kiss and show us how to defy the fire."

"Alright." Ever obedient, he kissed her. When she pulled back, she grinned malevolently.

"Going to teach us what happens to a naughty girl like Miss Edith? Can't let the nasty little secrets go to waste, can we now?"

"I'm afraid I haven't the foggiest notion of what you're talking about, love." Drusilla sighed, annoyed and tilted her head. Her eyes widened, as though she was really looking at him for the first time.

"Sweet. Not a drop of blood on your hands."

"That's not true," he sounded almost insulted, "I'm a pirate. I've got loads of blood on my hands."

"Ah yes, bitter blood. Not blood sweet as your own. Willy never cared much for distinction, he was a wild knight, killing those and these. But Daddy, mm, Daddy always was watching for the sweet. It made him so happy. It's why he loved me so much."

"Drusilla-" He began to say something, but she was off on her rant now, and cut him off.

"But not like Grandmummy. Oh no, never like Grandmum. Daddy loved her the best and I could never be good enough. She was a whistled tune in his head and she never let him be. She was his Mummy, after all. But I his little girl, did I not deserve a doll or two?"

"I'm sure you did."

"The world is cold, and the sky is all around me," she wrapped her arms around herself and slipped down to the floor. "I can't see the moon any longer."

"I'll wager it hasn't changed much."

"Not the point, not the point at all, blessed. Majick doesn't hold us, we can't wave our wand. Not sure what to do, not sure where to turn. I want Daddy back, but I can never see him again. Daddy is gone. Only the Angel-beast remains."

"That's very sad," he nodded sympathetically and put his arm around her shoulder again, pulling her close. Drusilla lay her head on his shoulder and looked up at her pirate wonderingly.

"You are different, hunter of gold. Very, very different."


	22. Chapter 21

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Frank, Annabellina, and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 21:

Peace. Memory. Falling.

**The pen scratched against the surface of the little book's paper in a soft quick rhythm.** Saxen paused every few seconds to look at the map on the wall of her cabin, then resumed writing. Moksha, who had moments before been guarding her from the corner, suddenly leapt up and bounded happily to the door where Effie stood smiling.

"Hey Saxie," she said, walking in.

Maverick closed the book and stowed it in her desk. "Was there something you needed?"

The girl shook her head. "Just your honorable presence. Will you oblige me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What is this about?"

Effie grabbed her arm. "Come on. We decided the girl's are having a party in the women's bath. No boys allowed. You gotta come!"

"That's really quite all right—"

Frowning, Fire Blossom poked her in the chest. "No you don't. All you've been doing lately is locking yourself up in here with that book of yours. Time to be social now!" She smiled. "It'll do you some good, Sax."

Sighing, the bounty hunter nodded. "Perhaps…just for a while."

"There we go! Now we can talk Miyu into it too. She's almost as quiet as you are. No fun at all."

Saxen grinned slightly. "Well, you must admit. Being the same species as Dru…it's enough to make anyone a recluse."

"You're mean Saxie."  
"Don't call me that."

The two made their way to Miyu's cabin. Pulling free of Effie's surprisingly strong grasp, Saxen knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a foreboding-looking Larva standing in the middle of the room, his mask back in place. The bounty hunter nodded respectfully to him. "Hello, Larva."

"Hello."

Effie looked quizzically at the two, then brushed past Saxen into the middle of the room. "Hey Larva, where's Miyu?"

"She is resting at the moment."

"Would it be all right if we were to wake her?" Maverick asked, looking back at the tall demon.

"No. She asked not to be distur—"

It was at that point that Effie reappeared with her arm around a rather dazed and confused Miyu. She appeared cheerful though, and paid no attention to the murderous glare the vampire's servant was giving her at the moment. Saxen shrugged apologetically.

"Okay, we got her. Now let's see…Tabby's down there already, and Dru said she was on her way…okay, that's everyone! See you later Larva!"

Gradually, Miyu seemed to wake up as they walked down the corridor to the women's bath. She didn't speak, and she didn't appear as upset at Effie as Larva had been. In fact, she even seemed to like the idea of the five women of the _Tsunami_ taking a relaxing bath together.

They entered a dark, warm room lit by sconces in the wall. Wooden stalls lined the far wall near the door. Each girl entered one. When Effie emerged, she was wearing a sleek crimson one-piece that nicely complemented the highlights in her hair. Saxen and Miyu, on the other hand, were clothed in tightly wrapped towels. Brown for Saxen, white for Miyu.

When they entered the actual bath itself, they saw the blond head of Tabby far across the pool. It was easily twenty feet across, and steam rose steadily out of it. An artificial garden was off to one side, as was a pair of cushioned benches and a low coffee table.

"All right Eff! You got 'em to come! You go girl!" Tabby grinned. She wore a tight black string bikini that covered up the essentials, but not much else.

But as the girls sank into the water, Dru walked in. She had not bothered with either a towel or a swimsuit, and stood completely naked, with only her long dark hair hanging down over her.

Tabby and Fire Blossom gawked for the few moments until the vampire silently slid beneath the steam, but Saxen and Miyu seemed not to notice at all.

"Dru…um…don't you want a suit or anything?"

"What for, dear heart? You said there would be only girls. And only girls we are, with girls' bodies. Little sister and the she-wolf understand, yes?"

Saxen shrugged. "We all bathed in the river where I come from."

Miyu nodded in agreement. "When I was younger, my mother and I would go to the bath in our village together."

"Weird. But then again, I guess us good ole American girls are the weirdos, huh?" Tabby asked.

Effie looked at Saxen. "There are rivers on Gagan?"

She nodded. "Yes. Several. One of the largest ran outside the city where I lived as a child."

"Cool. All I ever did was take showers. Though I must admit," Tabby looked around. "Washu did a _damn_ fine job on this place. I wonder if the guys have a hangout like this. You should ask Duo next time you guys decide to make out, Effie."

"Okay, I—WHAT?" Effie cried as she looked at the giggling blond. "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"We all know, vixen. You and the sweet dark knight, bound by love and soft lamb's wool," Dru replied.

She looked at Saxen. "Did you know?"

"Of course I knew. You two have been at it ever since you first saw each other. Even Miyu could tell."

"The way you look at each other is your main giveaway," the younger vampire explained.

Fire Blossom huffed. "Well…what about you and Van Helsing?"

"What about us?"

An evil glint flickered in Effie's eye. "You like him."

"He is a good ally."

"With deeeeeeee-licious pecs, might I add. And manly stubble," Tabby giggled.

Saxen raised an eyebrow. "And you think that's what I look for in a man."

"Well, what do you look for?"

She paused, then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "That's not really your business."

There was an awkward silence for a while before Dru spoke up. "You love him."

"I do not!" Saxen snapped, splashing warm water at the vampire.

Dru smiled and splashed back. Tabby laughed and splashed at Saxen too, and a few seconds later, Effie joined in. Even Miyu got in and came to Saxen rescue, sending little waves back at the other three. And that was how the rest of the time passed, with little accusations of love and little waves of water and little storms of feminine laughter.

**Later on that night after most of the passengers had gone to bed,** Effie wandered down to the galley in search of a midnight snack. What she found was Saxen and Moksha and the sweet scent of spices brewing in a pot on the stove.

The bounty hunter looked up. "Oh, you're still awake."

"Yeah. I'm hungry. Thought I'd come raid this place. What are you doing up?"

"We're always up this late. But after the chai is finished, I'm planning on going to bed."

"Ah, I see…can I sit up with you for a while?" Effie asked, pulling a box of cookies out of the cupboard and dumping them onto a large plate.

"Be my guest," Saxen answered, taking a cookie from the plate.

Effie sat, and there was another awkward silence, not unlike the one they had felt in the bath. Then Maverick looked up at her.

"I had fun today, Effie. I'd like to thank you," she said.

The hitchhiker smiled. "You're welcome. You should do it more often."

"I do. I just get my fulfillment other ways," she explained. "Training, praying, things like that."

"What about that book of yours? Is it your journal?" Effie asked.

"Something like that," Maverick smiled slightly. Taking another cookie and placing it before Moksha, she stood up and walked to the pot of chai.

"Hey, could I have some of that?"

Saxen looked back at Effie for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, of course." She poured two cups and walked back to the table.

Gripping the warm cup for a moment, letting it chase away the cold of the galley, Fire Blossom took a slow sip. It was spicy and hot, but after she swallowed it left a calm feeling inside her.

"It's very good," she commented.

"Yes. It's Sitari chai, made with spices grown on the plantations outside of the city where I grew up. It's the very best chai on Gagan," Saxen explained.

"I believe it. Not that I've had any other chai from Gagan, or anything," Effie took another sip. "So you're from a place called Sitari?"

Maverick nodded. "It's not the largest city on Gagan, but it is one of the oldest. It lies on the equator, so it's always very hot there. The plantations have special irrigation systems so that the spice plants can grow." She paused for a moment, then continued. "I worked on one from about the time I was eight or nine until I was fourteen."

"Really? What about school?"

"I never went to school. Everything I know now I learned from my Aditya, Algonkian. But this was before I met him," she explained.

Effie tilted her head curiously. "What was it like, working on the plantations?"

"Hot. It paid well enough so that I could afford to board at the Temple of Vyasa in Sitari. Usually it's free if you're going to school there, but my family was poor and we couldn't afford tuition I would need. So I decided to take a job in order to pay for the food and a bed. But the work was hard. At the beginning, I worked outside in the hot sun all day, picking the tea leaves from the plants." She smiled slightly. "The leaves secreted an oil that smelled like the chai. So much of it soaked into my hands that I've never been able to wash the scent off."

Saxen held out her hand to Effie, who cautiously sniffed the backs of her fingers. Sure enough, the spicy-sweet scent clung to her like some kind of strange perfume.

"When I was older, they put me in the boiling houses. That was even worse than the fields. It was dark, but it was even hotter. It was crowded too, and we couldn't breathe. If you were lucky, you'd get to work near the doorway so that every now and then you would get a breeze," she went on.

Fire Blossom looked at her quietly. "It sounds awful," she murmured.

Saxen nodded. "It was, I won't lie about that. Only a step above slavery. But," she stood up and stretched. "I eventually left, and I try not to think about it very often."

"That's a good idea. But now you've got _me_ thinking about it. Great way to kill my mojo, Saxie," she smirked.

Maverick smiled back. "Sorry I mentioned anything. But I'm going to bed now. I think Moksha will keep you company for a while yet though." She looked at the wolf, who was sitting next to Effie with his ears perked up, as though he too had been listening to her story.

"It's okay. I'm pretty tired too. We'll have a slumber party some other time, okay Moksha?" Effie giggled, patting him on the head.

He tilted his head in response, then stood up and walked to Saxen.

The bounty hunter started out the door, then paused and turned back. "You're a good friend, you know that, Effie? I haven't had the opportunity to make many, but I'm glad you and I can be friends."

Fire Blossom grinned. "Me too, Sax. Me too."

The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow. "In the name of Mother Vyasa, Effie, don't call me that."

**The passenger-crew of the _Tsunami_** **awoke in the early hours of the morning.** The ship had suddenly jerked unsteadily and then lurched in a forward direction. Saxen, who'd had more experience piloting it than anyone else, recognized it as a dimension jump. But what didn't make sense was that no one had initialized it.

She dashed down the corridor to the staircase that led to the bridge, Moksha at her heels. A moment later, she noticed that both Van Helsing and Tabby had joined her.

"What's going on?" the blond asked, looking over at her.

"I think Washu sent us to another dimension, but I'm not sure," Saxen answered.

"Where are the others?" Van Helsing glanced back.

"Probably still sleeping."

But when they entered the bridge, the lone silhouette of Dru appeared in front of a swollen sapphire Earth.

"Whoa…" Tabby murmured, taking a step forward. Her bare foot suddenly nudged against something large and soft. Squealing in surprise, she looked down to see Jack sleeping on the floor of the bridge. Rolling her eyes, she kicked him out of the way.

"Drusilla? What's going on?" Van Helsing asked.

A slow smile spread across the vampire's face. "I'm watching the Earth rise. It's very beautiful, yes Jack?"

"Mmph? What's that m'dear?" Jack yawned and sat up.

"Why is Jack sleeping in the bridge? And what are you guys all doing here?" Effie asked, padding into the bridge in her fluffy purple slippers. She was dragging a sleepy Duo behind her, his braid messy and his eyes half-closed. Following the pair was a suspiciously alert-looking Lynx.

"We're in another dimension," Saxen explained. "You know what this means…"

Effie groaned. "But it's like…2:00 AM! Washu can't seriously expect us too—"

"Oh yes she can," Tabby said. She pointed out the window to several flashes of light a few miles ahead of them towards the Earth. "I heard the story about how you guys got Duo. Who's ready for the sequel?"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Maverick groaned, sinking down into the pilot's seat. She rubbed her temples for a moment, then motioned for everyone to take a seat. As they did, she opened the thrusters and sent them into the battle.

It was another fight between mobile suits, but there were also one or two large battleships hidden back in the ranks. Luckily, no one seemed to notice them. Yet, anyways.

"So…where's the newest member of the club?" Lynx asked.

"There," Miyu answered. He jumped; no one had seen either the younger vampire or her shadowy partner enter. But now, she was pointing out the window at a bright white mobile suit.

"That one? You're sure?" Van Helsing asked.

She nodded. "I can see him; his aura. He's only a boy, younger than any of us. Driven by a need to defend people…the God of Protection."

"I see," Saxen said grimly, then looked at Duo. "Are you going to help me with this?"

"Wha?" he blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?":

"We saved Deathscythe. It's in the hangar with the Ravana," she explained. "Are you going to help me take him down?"  
"I guess…"

"Okay," she looked at the others as she slipped into "command" mode. "Van Helsing, please take care of the evasion again. Effie and Miyu, I need both of you to work the communication lines for Duo and myself. Lynx, keep an eye on our power levels. Tabby, can you shoot anyone who tries to attack the _Tsunami _down?"

"Sure can. They trained me for this sort of thing at school," she grinned playfully. "But what about Dru and Jack?"

"Keep them out of the way," she said, then touched Moksha on the shoulder gently before motioning to Duo.

Moments later, the _Tsunami's_ hangar opened and the Ravana and the Gundam shot out like a pair of bullets and mixed into the fray. They were fighting their way towards the while mobile suit, when suddenly a beam brushed past Deathscythe, missing by only a few feet.

"Duo, are you all right?" Saxen asked.

"Yeah…" the pilot turned to look at what it was that had shot at him and saw it was a large black battleship easily the size of the _Tsunami_ (though he was sure it lacked the interdimensional space of Washu's creation).

"Shit…" he cursed. "Effie, tell Tabby to keep that thing off us! The white one too!"

"Got it," Effie answered from the bridge, then looked at Tabby worriedly. "Try not to kill anyone, okay? Just keep them off."

"Sure sweetheart. Whatever you say," Tabby answered, still grinning somewhat evilly.

Meanwhile, Saxen had reached the white mobile suit and was now locked in close combat with it. She grunted as the Ravana thrust sideways to avoid another high-intensity beam. Miyu had said the pilot was younger than any of them. But he was easily as talented as either Duo or herself.

However, this pilot clearly did not have the experience either of the other pilots had. She continued moving at an angle to the mobile suit and allowed Duo to come in and slice at it with his beam scythe. The white suit managed to raise its shield just in time.

It was at that moment that Saxen realized just how close to the Earth's gravitational field the battle actually was, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was like fighting on the edge of a cliff. If she went much farther, she would be pulled in. And the Ravana was not nearly powerful enough to get her out.

Setting her jaw, she jetted forward, pointed her gun, and managed to shoot the white mobile suit in the shoulder while it was still busy fighting off Duo. But then time seemed to stop for a moment as the white suit turned and focused on her. Even though she didn't see the pilot's face, she felt his eyes on her, and it froze her. In the blink of an eye, it charged her, and she just barely managed to move out of the way. Narrowing her eyes, she fired again, but missed severely, hitting the large white battleship instead.

Duo intervened then, delivering a blow to the white suit from the side. "Saxen, be careful with the guy…I think he's done screwing around."

"I think so too…" she answered. Her eyes widened then as the battleship, not the mobile suit, opened fire on her. She tried to move out of the way, but the mobile suit was now blocking her escape. With nowhere to go, she braced herself as the impact sent the Ravana flying backwards.

"Saxen!" Effie yelled over the communication link.

"I'm fine!" the bounty hunter answered. "Duo, shoot that guy down now! Then get the hell out of here! I…oh hell no…"

"Saxen!" Miyu yelled.

Lynx's sharp eyes widened as he looked up from the screen in front of him. "She's in the gravitational pull!"

"Shoot him down Duo! Tabby! _SHOOT HIM DOWN!_" Saxen screamed again.

The line went dead.

"Saxen!" Effie cried out again. "Duo, do something!"

The pilot could only grit his teeth as he jetted towards the white mobile suit. Tabby suddenly got the message and nodded to Van Helsing, who moved the ship closer in. They were doing the exact same thing to the white mobile suit that the other battleship had done to Saxen. Tabby fired, and Duo closed in. The white mobile suit was blasted into the gravitational pull, falling several thousand feet in the same path Saxen had taken only moments before.

"Got him," Tabby smiled weakly. But it wasn't over yet.

"Duo, come on! We've got to go before they come after us!" Miyu cried. Duo got the message and jetted back after them, fighting any mobile suit that came near and dodging the fire coming at him. And the entire time, he was following the little yellow dot on his screen that marked Saxen's fall to Earth.

It disappeared as soon as he made it back to the _Tsunami_.

The bridge was silent. Everyone was either staring out the window in the direction Saxen had fallen, or at the radar from which the Ravana's signal had disappeared.

"Where is she?" Effie whispered. She looked from Duo, to Lynx, then back out the windows. "She's okay, right?"

"Effie…"

But the wasn't listening. Grabbing for the microphone, she sent out another signal frantic signal to the Ravana.

"Sax? Saxie? Hey, can you hear me? Please answer. Saxen?"

"Effie, stop. It's too late. She's gone," Duo said, putting an arm around her.

"No!" she shoved him off. "No! She's fine! She said she was fine! She just got pulled in…"

"Effie, if she hasn't crashed already, she will soon. I don't think her machine is capable of making a landing after falling so fast," Lynx answered.

"No! We have to go find her! Come on you guys!" she looked pleadingly at Van Helsing. "Van! Come on, you can pilot this thing, right? Get us down there so we can find her!"

The hunter looked back at her helplessly. "I'm sorry, Effie. I don't think I can drive this thing long distances."

"Tabby then! Heck, even Jack or Dru! We can't just let her d—" she swallowed the word. "We can't just leave her!"

"Effie! Kid, listen to me!" Lynx said, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "We. Can't. Help. Her. She's gone."

"No! No she's not! I won't believe that!"

The tears Fire Blossom had been trying to hold back spilled forward as she turned to face Duo.

"Why didn't you help her? You could have pulled her out!"

"Effie…I'm sorry…" Duo murmured.

"Sorry isn't good enough! Sorry won't bring her back!" she yelled. She raised her hand as if to strike him, but before she could Lynx grabbed a hold of her.

"You need to rest, Effie. Come on," he said gently, lifting her up.

Unable to fight anymore, she collapsed against him in sobs.

Afterwards, Tabby stood slowly. "I didn't think…I didn't think she would really go. I thought…"

She turned away, but they had already seen the sparkle of water in her eyes.

"I'm going to bed," she whispered, then turned and walked out swiftly.

Even Dru and Jack seemed solemn. "Poor girl…she was so strong…" Jack murmured.

Dru said nothing, just took a hold of the pirate's arm and led him from the bridge. Duo stared after them, then looked down when he felt a hand on his arm.

"You did your best, Duo. It was all anyone could ask," Miyu said softly, then she and Larva followed the others.

Duo took one final look at Van Helsing. "I tried to protect her, big guy." He swallowed. "For your sake…I tried to protect her all I could."

Then he too left, and only Van Helsing and Moksha remained, staring out at the wide blue Earth with unshed tears in their wide eyes.


	23. Chapter 22

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Frank, Annabellina and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 22:

Past. Dreams. Silence

**Three Years Ago**

**United States, Earth**

**Kathy curled in the doorway, hugging her knees to her chest.** Rain poured over her, soaking her clothes and hair, but she didn't seem to notice. She rocked slowly back and forth, hair quickly plastering itself to her head. Her eyes stared vacant and unbelieving into the cold night. Words echoed in her head, angry shouts.

_How could you be so selfish?_

_You never think of anyone but yourself!_

_If you don't do it, don't you dare come back here._

A shuddering and gasping sob escaped her lips. How could she do it? How could she go back on everything she had sworn? Could they even do it? She didn't know…could they do what her parents had commanded? But…how could she stay here? Out in the cold and rain, with no one to love her? A bitter smile graced her lips. No one loved her. No one.

"Is it working?" She looked up quickly at the unfamiliar voice and squinted through the rain that continually fell into her eyes.

"Wha?"

"Hiding."

"I'm not-"

"You are," came the simple answer. She shut her eyes. She didn't have time for mysterious strangers to mock her, or whatever this man was trying to do.

"Just leave me alone," she managed to whisper. Her head hurt so badly. And there was the burning in her chest that even the rain making her skin clammy couldn't seem to cool. She heard the footsteps, but they stopped much too quickly for him to have left. She opened her eyes again, warily. He was squatting in front of her. Watching her. Even through all the water covering her, she could see that he did not appear to have a drop on him.

He was a hard looking man, with a stern mouth and closely cropped navy-colored spikes for hair. His eyes were a cold and deep blue, but with strange silver light flickering through them. He snorted softly.

"Not much to look at," he said under his breath, but loud enough that she was clearly meant to hear. But she didn't care. He held out a large hand. "Come on."

She stared down at the hand for a few moments. A man she had never seen before, approaching her on a rainy night in an alleyway and telling her to come with him. It flew in the face of everything she had learned. Don't talk to strangers. Never go anywhere with someone you don't know. But, hadn't her life been shattered anyway? Whatever this man was planning for her…she found she couldn't bring herself to care.

So she clasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

**Clean white cotton sheets, just like in a commercial.** Kathy rubbed her face blearily against the pillow. Where was she now? She was more awake in a few moments and realized, with less of a start than the situation probably deserved, that she had been stripped of all clothing save her underwear and bra. There was clanking in the other room. She rose, ignoring her undressed state, and exited the bedroom.

He was standing by the stove, making what smelled like eggs. He wasn't much more appropriately clad than she, in an undershirt and green plaid boxer shorts.

"Soaked." He didn't even look up as he spoke, but she somehow knew exactly what he meant. She was about to open her mouth, when he again cut her off. "Cain," was his response to her unspoken question.

"I'm Kathy," she said quietly, watching him. His arms were muscular, and if what she could see beneath his apparel, the rest of him was too. Not overly muscular, like some guys she had seen, but large and strong. Much different than the scrawny boys she had been friend with at school, and a polar opposite of her beanpole brother. _Lynx_. What would he think when he came home from his cross-country trek to find her gone? What would their parents tell him? The truth? Or would they make up a story to protect his fragile feelings? She and Lynx had always had a special bond, and her parents must know that he would never let her be disowned like this. _Disowned._ What a disgusting word.

All at once, the silence became too much for the teenage girl.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked, not with any real care, just curiosity. What did her life mean anymore? He turned slowly to face her, sliding the skillet off of the stove as he did. He approached her, and she had to tilt her head back to hold his eyes.

"What would you like me to do?" He asked in the longest sentence she had ever heard him speak. His response surprised her. It had not been what she was suspecting, whatever that had been. She had to think about this for a few moments before she came to a conclusion.

"Punish me," she whispered. Wordlessly he gripped her arms and bodily lifted her off the floor. It didn't even look like it took too much effort from him. Now she was on his eye level. She waited for what he would do. Throw her across the room, slam her to the floor, she didn't know and didn't care. As long as it hurt. But he just looked her coolly in the eye.

"No." He set her down and with a choked cry of rage, she rushed at him and began to pummel his chest as hard as she could.

"You have to! I have to be punished, I've been bad…I've been a bad girl and you have to hurt me! Please…" her breath caught in her throat and she sank to the floor, arms fastened tightly around his legs. "…please…"

More gently than likely for a man of his size, Cain stooped and pulled the weeping girl to her feet. He waited a few seconds to make sure she could stand on her own, then he reached out to her.

She watched in sniffling amazement as he lay his fingers across her heart. A soft golden glow rose warmly to meet them from beneath her skin. He took her hand and pressed it against his own heart where, even through the white cotton of his undershirt, a gentle navy light glowed.

"We're the same," he told her.

"We're the same," she echoed, feeling the soft ribbing beneath her fingertips.

**Present Day**

_**Tsunami**_

**_Tabby stared down the sheer rock face._** _It made her think of days long past, things she would never see again. Quickly, she straightened and gazed into the thick forest behind her. Taking a deep breath, she ran into the trees. She plunged forward, past pines, elms, every kind of tree she could name, not paying them much attention. There was somewhere she had to be. Something she had to do._

_"Not gonna work, Tabs. Not this time." She slowed and turned around. She smiled at the old friend. A boy from school she had left behind in another dimension. But it didn't seem so strange he was here now._

_"Why the hell not?" She asked good-naturedly._

_"They killed you, Boom-Boom. What do you expect they'll do when they're done?"_

_"You're wrong," she shook her head, smile disappearing. "They care about me." She turned and ran away again, but she couldn't outrun the laughter that echoed through her head._

_Suddenly, the forest turned to emptiness. She could see two figures up ahead, and doubled her speed to reach them. She was panting when she got there._

_It was Duo and Effie, but something was wrong. Effie stared, eyes glazed and golden, out into the void. Blood dripped from her hands and it stained her clothes. There were even flecks of it on her face. She was leaning against Duo, who was humming under his breath and cradling something in his arms._

_"Hey guys," she took another cautious step. "what's going on here? Something is majorly whacked."_

_"Mmm," Duo nodded in vague agreement before returning to his song._

_"What's that you're humming?" She asked, curious. He looked up at her in surprise, as if finally noticing she was there._

_"What is it?" He laughed loudly and it echoed throughout the emptiness. "It's a requiem. A funeral hymn for the fallen soldier."_

_"Who died?" She asked. Duo grinned, and his teeth were all razor-sharp and pointed. It was then she focused on the thing in her arms. It was her own head._

Tabby flinched in her sleep and rolled over with a quiet moan.

_**Duo stood over his slain enemies.** A field full of corpses, rotting bodies that were already attracting crows. He stood there, black wings spread, scythe clutched in his hands. He sensed life. A feral grin spread across his face. Life was something he controlled. He heard the heart beat thundering in his mind. Another life he could snuff out. He whirled around, scythe already raised._

_It was Fire Blossom. She knelt next to one of the dead men and was bobbing her head absentmindedly as she planted flowers in the man's chest._

_"Well, this is certainly messy." He spun around again at the new voice. It was Lynx, who was clucking his tongue as he surveyed the battlefield. He noticed Duo looking at him and turned back to him. "Oh, don't worry. I won't tell her about you, murderer." He smiled._

_"I'm not a murderer," Duo said._

_"Of course not," Lynx smiled patronizingly, "she doesn't need to know a thing. We won't tell her your dirty little secret, you cute little killer."_

_"I don't keep any secrets from Effie."_

_"Sure, sure. Why do you want to taint her?"_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Look at her." He did. She was now clapping her hands and laughing at the tulips that were blossoming out of the corpse. "She's an innocent girl. You don't deserve her."_

_"I don't-"_

_"Deserve her, yes, we've been over this Mr. Maxwell. And now you've gotten her best friend killed…" Lynx shook his head sadly, then grinned. "I'm a regular Devil's Advocate, aren't I? Get it? Devil-" He became helpless with giggles, but Duo didn't get the joke._

_"Effie can make her own choices."_

_"Nice choosing she's done," Lynx said, nodding over Duo's shoulder. He turned around to see Effie fast asleep, tight in the embrace of Van Helsing. "The lion and lamb shall lay down together…"_

_"And the little child shall lead them," Duo whispered, turning back to Lynx. He had turned into a small boy._

_"What do you think? Adorable, if I do say so myself," Lynx said, admiring his new form. He looked up at Duo and smiled brightly, holding out his hand. "Coming?"_

_Duo stretched his hand out slowly. "Who are you?"_

_"Me? Now that hurts. Wounds me right through here," he struck his tiny chest with the hand not outstretched toward the God of Death. "I'm Lynx, obviously."_

"No," Duo laughed slightly, hand just about to connect with the boy's. "I meant really."

_"Oh," Lynx laughed too, a childish little giggle, "really. Well, that's easy. I'm your-"_

Duo was abruptly brought out of his dream world when his face made quick contact with the floor. Half-asleep and grumbling, he crawled back into his bed and folded his arms over his chest.

_**Van Helsing rode through the thick Transylvanian forest.** He was on the trail of evil…he could sense it. He spurred his horse to go faster and faster, to catch up with the darkness all the quicker. His horse, to it's credit, took the abuse he handed it and ran as fast as it could, hooves slamming against the cold ground. Finally the pair came to an empty clearing. Van Helsing mercifully pulled in the reins and dismounted._

_"Good evening, Gabriel. It seems like so long since our last meeting." He recognized that voice. That accent. Wheeling around he found himself once again face-to-face with his nemesis._

_"I killed you," he told the vampire before him. Dracula only laughed._

_"It's not just a word, Gabriel, this 'immortality'. You will be discovering that for yourself, I am sure."_

_"I saw you die, you were destroyed," Van Helsing shook his head, as though that could make the vision of the creature disappear. Dracula suddenly ceased to look amused. He frowned at the hunter._

_"You did try very hard to destroy me, and for that, I suppose I must punish you."_

_"Punish me?" In an instant, the vampire was jovial again. He laughed._

_"Yes, even you cannot argue it is what you deserve. But two old friends like you and I, we can give each other breaks. Can't we, Gabriel?" Van Helsing had no response. He cocked his crossbow. Dracula ignored him. "So I will give you a choice."_

_Van Helsing lowered his weapon slightly in confusion. Dracula smiled widely at him, then spread out his arms. Two forms appeared next to him, one on each side. Van Helsing squinted at them as they writhed into a human shape, then promptly dropped his crossbow in shock._

_On the left stood Anna Valerious, the woman he had loved, killed in the battle against Dracula. He had mourned her for so long, yet here she was. Standing next to Dracula, held tight by his left arm. But on the right…on the right…_

_It was Saxen Maverick._

_"You may choose which one to keep, and which one to throw into everlasting torment," Dracula's smile widened even further and his eyes blazed with predatory pleasure. "So, who will it be, Gabriel? Who?"_

_"I can't…how could I…?" He tried to find the words but there were none. Two great women who had died in battle, two powerful souls who deserved nothing more than to live again. But what choice could he make? To save his love? Or his partner in his mission? At one moment it seemed obvious which choice to make, the next there was no choice._

_"Come now, Gabriel. I offer you a grand privilege and you try to deny it? If you refuse to choose, I shall simply damn both of them to hell." Van Helsing retrieved his bow with a feral snarl and aimed it at the monster's heart. Dracula shook his head in mock sadness. "It would do no good to attempt and incapacitate me, Gabriel. How do you think these two lost souls are here? I hold them here with my power, and if I feel the need to let go," he opened his closed fist for emphasis, "they will float off to the netherworld, where even I cannot tell you what horrors they will experience."_

_"You bastard," Van Helsing growled from between clenched teeth. Dracula pretended to be insulted._

_"I, Count Vladislaus Dracula, a bastard? I am insulted, Gabriel."_

_"Whack-job," the word slipped out before Van Helsing could stop it. Dracula tilted his head at him curiously._

_"'Whack-job'. Wherever did you here a strange phrase like that?"  
"A friend of mine," he muttered. Dracula smiled broadly and laughed again._

_"Ah, a 'friend'. And tell me, what do these friends of yours know about you?"_

_"I have no reason to keep secrets from them."_

_"You may recall, Gabriel," Dracula said, fixing him with a patronizing stare, "that I did not ask if you had reason to keep secrets. I asked if you did."_

Van Helsing wrinkled his nose and arched his back, rearranging his body to try and make the dream disappear.

_**Jack walked down the misty road.** It was dark, and he could hear the wilderness closing in around him. He walked for what seemed like hours until he came to a huge door, with a large metal lock. There was a pattern of dragons painted on in what looked suspiciously like blood. Although all his senses screamed at him to stop, he reached out a hand and touched the lock gently. Instantly, it crumbled away and the door swung violently open. He threw up his hands to shield himself, but it was too late. He was grasped by hands and pulled roughly inside. He heard the door slam behind him. He slowly brought away his hands._

_And looked out into the tavern. People were laughing and singing, gorgeous barmaids winked at drunken sailors, and everyone was having a marvelous time. He was led to a chair on the balcony, set apart from all the others and playfully pushed into it by two blondes._

_"Not to complain, but could either of you lovely ladies tell me what all this fuss is about?" They giggled in unison._

_"Don't be so silly, Jack! You're King of the Sea! We're all celebrating your good fortune!" He was kissed soundly on each cheek. "Now just sit here, and enjoy yourself!"_

_So he did. Everyone came up to shake his hand, and give him something. Girls piled heaps of gold and jewels into his lap and each one kissed his cheek before she left. He truly was the king. It was possibly the happiest day of his life. But…something was missing…_

_"King of all the fishies and the seaweed, and also the lost souls," came the breathy whisper in his ear as he realized what it was that he was missing. He tilted his head up to see Drusilla, wearing nothing but a petticoat and holding two huge mugs of rum._

_"Drusilla," he said with a smile. She grinned at him, then strode to the front of his throne. One of the other girls helped her to hoist up the petticoat, and the vampiress/barmaid sat in his lap and poured rum over his face._

Jack smiled in his sleep and rolled over, nuzzling his face into Drusilla's neck. She squeezed him tighter and the ghost of a smile playing across her lips left no question as to the sort of dream she was having.

**Miyu lay sleeping, silent and expressionless.** She alone seemed immune to the plague of dreams that had struck her companions. As a vampire, she did not need to breathe, and while asleep, did not even hold the illusion of breath which she usually kept in place so as to not frighten her mortal friends. She was indistinguishable from a corpse, with her face blank in the darkness. The only thing that separated her from a dead girl was the shadow that was spread across her body.

Larva shut his ruby eyes for a moment. As a demon, he neither dreamt nor slept. It all seemed a foolish mortal pastime to him. He opened his eyes again and gazed down at Miyu, cloaked in his darkness. The vampire princess. _His_ vampire princess. They were one, each belonging to the other in a way no mortal could imagine. He supposed the closest relationship to theirs on _Tsunami_ was the bond that had existed between the huntress and her guard. But the dissimilarities so greatly outnumbered the similarities that it was not really comparable.

Still, he felt the pain that must be within the wolf's heart. To imagine the loss of Miyu to a hand not his own…it was too painful to think of for long. He resolved that he and Miyu might try and comfort the wolf-guard when next came the opportunity.

**One Year Ago**

**Chartru, Sirius Beta**

**When she walked into the bar, no one could take their eyes off her.** With long, shining waves of blonde hair flowing down her back in a loose ponytail, huge, sparkling blue eyes, and full pink lips in a perpetual pout; she was more beautiful than most women anyone there had ever seen. She was dressed entirely in pale aqua, from her long pants to loose blouse. All the men were captivated and most of the women were furious.

"Not much of a rack," a grisly regular had whispered to the bartender when she entered, "But with a face like that, who cares?"

So when a tall, thin man with shaggy violet hair had entered, scanned the room, and taken a seat next to her at a table, a collective sigh of disappointment swept through the male crowd. The bartender himself, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, went over to see if the pair wanted anything.

"What'll it be?" He asked gruffly, eyes never leaving the beautiful face. Everyone close enough to eavesdrop were listening in.

"Let's make it," the man bit his lip and ran his eyes down a list of drinks, "a Shirley Temple."

"Kiddy cocktail?" The bartender asked in surprise. The man's lips curled back into a smirk.

"I'm not that old, honey. Don't want you carding me." With a quick grumble of apology, the bartender scrawled it down.

"And…for you?" He asked the woman. She gazed across the table at her companion, then turned back to him.

"Just water, thanks." He felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks. It couldn't be…but it was. Just glancing at all the shocked faces around him told him it hadn't been just a trick of his ears. The most gorgeous woman he had ever seen…was a man.

"Sure, okay, I'll just go and…oh," he shuffled away as quickly as possible, ears turning red from embarrassment.

Back at the table, Lynx grinned and turned back to his companion.

"You enjoy that far too much, Ziah." The beautiful man smiled winningly at him.

"Wouldn't you?" Lynx laughed. A waitress set down their drinks, staring dumbstruck at Ziah. After a few moments, she seemed to realize what she was doing and bustled away.

"Now," Lynx stirred his beverage and glanced up at Ziah, "as much as we enjoy each other's company, I'm guessing you want to talk business."

"Straight to point, as always." The other man sighed and took a long drink from his water before setting it down and tilting his head to regard Lynx. He waved a hand absentmindedly. "I heard about Jake."

Instantly, Lynx stiffened. "What about Jake?" He tried to keep his voice cool and calm.

"Lynx," Ziah's perfect eyes were wide and pleading, "you know the rules. Things-"

"How about Chite?" He had struck a nerve. Ziah stared at him for a few moments, obviously deeply pained. But he took a breath and spoke.

"I made a choice. And now I'm paying for it. You know I'm paying for it." Lynx looked away.

"I didn't do anything. I let him go."

"But you came far too close for comfort," Ziah said, "and we've decided-"

"Oh, 'we've decided'. Now all of you are concerned."

"Not all," Ziah said with a small smile, "Juno said it was none of our business."

"I thought this kind of thing had to be unanimous."

"You know Juno doesn't have the power to accept or reject anymore. You helped take that power away from her, I might remind you." Lynx scowled.

"So I'm not allowed to be happy? Because of something I didn't want, I'm unworthy of happiness?"

"Lynx, you know that's not what it's like. You just are not unaccountable for your actions."

"And here I thought that was the only perk in this job," he rested his head on a fist, glaring defiantly across the table. The beautiful man sighed.

"Lynx, we have decided to suspend your world-walking privileges until we have decided if you can do your job from amongst the humans." Lynx stared in disbelief.

"You can't be serious. Now I'm getting pulled out of-"

"It's only temporary," Ziah tried to soothe him, patting his forearm, "if you prove you can stay unattached, you'll be back in no time." Lynx looked at his old friend, searching for malice. Ziah's perfect face was clear. He was truly sorry, and concerned for his friend. Lynx stretched and sighed, resigned.

"There's something I have to do first."

"Oh? What would-" Ziah furrowed his delicate forehead but his eyes quickly widened in understanding. "Her."

"Yeah."

"And what could you possibly need with her? Going to finally tell her the truth after all these years?" The blonde gently teased his friend, but the other man didn't smile.

"Yeah."

"That will be fascinating. I might just have to stop by and see the show. Well, you've got a long way to go. Fate says-"

"Fate!" Lynx grinned suddenly. "How is she? I haven't seen her in years."

"Same as ever," Ziah shrugged.

"Still acting like she knows everything in the whole universe?" Lynx asked. Ziah smiled.

"You can't blame her. She does."

"I guess," Lynx laughed, but was quickly serious again. "So, where is she?"

"Fulfilling her destiny."

"Destiny? But her destiny isn't…what's going on? Did somebody change things around? She's not supposed to-"

"It was Washu."

"Washu?" Lynx frowned, trying to remember.

"Of Jurai," Ziah added helpfully. Lynx snapped his fingers.

"Oh, one of those." He frowned again suddenly. "What right does she have to meddle with-"

"Calm down, Lynx. Her destiny had always been uncertain. Washu just shuffled things around a bit." Lynx rolled his eyes.

"Obnoxious pipsqueak."

"So I suppose you'll be coming back soon?" Ziah asked.

"Couldn't say," Lynx shrugged. A mischievous grin spread across his face. "Why? D'ya miss me?"

"Of course I do," Ziah gently ran a hand through Lynx's hair. "Don't you forget it." He rose gracefully and kissed Lynx's cheek. Lynx inhaled, enjoying the scent of wildflowers that always clung to his friend. "See you soon."

He waved his hand again and the bar came back to life. He swept out of the room, many people still marveling at his beauty. Lynx smiled slightly, leaned back in his chair and drained the rest of his drink.


	24. Chapter 23

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, Frank, and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha

Chapter 23:

Awake. Kira. Found.

**The first thing Saxen was aware of was a throbbing pain in her head.** She opened her eyes and saw that her eye patch had been ripped away in the impact and now lay in her lap. Her poor eye, unaccustomed to even the small amount of light in the Ravana's cockpit, tried to focus but only resulted in tinting everything blood red.

Grunting, the bounty hunter sat up and rubbed her forehead. She felt a split in the skin there, and a stream of dried blood that felt like it ran all the way down her left cheek to her chin. Freeing herself from the seat's harness, she picked up the eye patch and tied the ends together behind her head. The first thing she would do as soon as she got back to the _Tsunami_, she decided, was find a flight suit. Or even just a helmet. Anything would be better than her current uniform: tank top, loose pants, and sandals.

She knew it was a poor choice in clothing when going into battle (even if it was in the middle of the night) but when she exited the Ravana, she _really _regretted not having her coat or hat with her.

Her mobile suit had crash-landed in the middle of a vast, snow-covered plain. Around her, a frigid blizzard roared, and made the mountains on the horizon look like a blurry gray line. Shivering, she yanked off her ring and threw it in the snow.

"The Password is Shiva."

Immediately, light shot out of the middle of the ring and it widened immensely. Climbing back into the cockpit of the Ravana, Saxen maneuvered it into the hole. When she reemerged, a heavy woolen shawl was around her, and a pair of worn leather boots were on her feet. An improvement, but not much.

"Vyasa help me…" she murmured, lowering her head and closing her eyes. She knew what she had to do. The God of Protection had fallen with her, and he was close by. And cold as she was, she could not leave _him_ out to brave the elements.

Maverick felt something slide out of her chest and pull her forward. Keeping her head low, she allowed the sensation to lead her several hundred feet from the glowing hole of her ring to the white mobile suit that had been almost invisible in the blowing snow.

Tying her shawl tighter, she climbed up to the door of the cockpit and yanked on it. It didn't budge. Muttering to herself, she pulled a revolver from her belt and emptied the barrel against the handle and hinges. This time, it gave. Pulling the door off, she looked inside to see a young boy in a blue and white flight suit lying unconscious in the pilot's seat. Stowing the gun back in her belt, she pulled him free and carefully climbed off the mobile suit, the boy still cradled in her arms the way a child might carry a doll.

She could still see the thick shaft of light piercing the sky. As she walked towards it, she silently gave thanks to her goddess. But the wind remained fierce and the wind stung as it hit her cheek, and she was glad when she penetrated the hole and it all but closed over her, leaving only a tiny opening the thickness of her finger.

The space Saxen liked to call her "closet" resembled a dim room with an orange glow in the center that almost resembled a fire, but not quite. It was warm and dry there, and several artifacts were scattered on the infinite floor. There were no walls in sight, but about twenty or so feet from the orange glow, darkness took over.

She laid the boy on the floor beneath the glow and carefully removed his helmet. There was no blood on him, but his eyes were closed and his breathing slow. However, after taking his pulse and making sure his airways were clear, she determined he would be all right.

A strange instinct seemed to awaken within her. With an uncharacteristic tenderness, she gently brushed a few spikes of brown hair from his eyes and touched the side of his cheek. No fever. Still, better to be safe the sorry. Already adapting to the warmth of the space herself, she removed her shawl and spread it over him.

_He looks so young_ she thought silently, watching him a bit more. Through the hole overhead, she could hear the wind and the sheer sound of it made her shiver. With nothing else to do, she took a lotus position and began to wait.

_**Effie stood alone in the empty prayer hall. **She had watched Saxen down here a few times, but she had never been here by herself. To her surprise, the various clusters of candles were lit, and the scent of chai lingered in the air. Shadows played over the walls, and Effie thought she could almost make out the shape of her friend, dancing across the mural of Vyasa, Moksha at her feet._

_It was too much._

_Sinking to her knees, she silently began to cry. But as the tears streamed down her cheeks, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder._

_"Why are you crying?" a kind female voice asked._

_Effie looked around. The voice sounded almost like Saxen's but not quite. All of the hardness and severity of Saxen's voice was gone, replaced by understanding and compassion._

_"Who are you?" she asked, turning around. She froze. Although she was certain of the touch she had felt moments before, she was alone._

_But someone was laughing. "It's all right…don't be frightened."_

_"Who are you?" Fire Blossom repeated, her voice dropping to a frightened whisper._

_"I am Someone's Mother, Someone's Friend, and Someone's Protector. I can be one or all to you, if you like," the voice answered._

_Effie said nothing, but backed away from the space the voice seemed to be coming from._

_"Do not be frightened," the voice repeated. This time, she could pick up a hint of what sounded like a Jamaican accent. "Why are you crying?"_

_She swallowed. "Late last night…my friend was killed."_

_"Oh child…I'm sorry," the voice murmured. For a moment, Effie thought "it" was going to touch her again. But she felt nothing. "Your friend," the voice went on. "What was their name?"_

_"Saxen…Saxen Maverick," she answered finally._

_Suddenly, the candles all appeared to flicker frantically, as if the room had become very windy._

_"Saxen Maverick? Saxen Maverick dead?" the voice cried._

_"Yes…she was…killed in battle…"_

_"Impossible."_

_Effie blinked. "What?"_

_"She cannot be dead. The Ravana is old, but it would never betray her to her doom."_

_"But I saw—" Effie froze. "How did you know?"_

_"Know what?"_

_"About the Ravana. How do you know she piloted a machine called a Ravana?" she asked fearfully._

_The voice just laughed again. "I know Saxen, child. I have known her her whole life, and I know her very well."_

_Effie swallowed. "Who are you?" she repeated._

_"Who are **you**_**?" **_the voice said back._

_She straightened her back. "My name is Fire Blossom. Saxen was the best friend I ever had."_

_"I see…your best friend," Effie could sense a smile on the being's face, if it had one. "All right then. I will tell you this, Fire Blossom. Saxen Maverick lives, but not forever. Help her, and I will be in your debt."_

_"That's not necessary…not if she's alive," the girl's heart was beating fast. Saxen? Alive? It was too good to be true._

_"She is. And it is necessary. It is My Code that requires that no deed come without consequence, good or bad," the voice explained._

_"But if I don't know who you are, how will I collect payment?" she asked._

_"Saxen will tell you, if you ask."_

_"I see…" Effie closed her eyes and smiled. "Thank you. Whoever you are, you're a very nice person. I wish you lots of luck and good karma."_

_The voice laughed. "The same to you, child. The same to you."_

**The boy awoke to find himself laying on a smooth floor, **covered by a woolen shawl. At first, he though he saw a fire in the middle of the room, but it was spherical, and floated about three feet off of the floor. There were no walls in sight, but there was a figure hunched over about six feet away from him.

Sitting up, he looked around. "Where am I?" he asked softly.

"You're awake. Good."

The figure stood and resolved itself into the shape of a pretty woman with dark skin and maroon hair. She only had one eye and was dressed in a black tank top and brown pants. One side of her face was completely red with dried blood.

Walking over, she knelt down in front of him and felt his forehead.

"What's your name? Can you remember anything?" she asked.

"My name? Kira…Kira Yamato…" he answered, then closed his eyes. "I remember fighting the Dominion…but then another ship came out…and two mobile suits. I shot one down, but then…I think the other one got me, if I ended up here."

"I see…I am Saxen Maverick," the bounty hunter replied.

"Where are we?" Kira asked again, looking around.

Maverick shrugged. "On your Earth, I don't know. I'm not from here. But this," she waved her arm across the dark empty space. "This is a dimensional pocket that serves as a storage space. And a hangar."

Kira followed her eyes to the Ravana standing motionless at the edge of the shadow. He paled.

"You…"

Saxen held up a hand. "I don't mean you any harm. But I was assigned to kill you at any cost. And now that I have—"

"Are you with the Earth Forces, or ZAFT?" Kira asked frantically, then stood up. "Because I'm warning you, I won't—wait a minute. Did you say you already killed me?"

"In not so many words, yes," she answered.

He blinked. "But…I'm here. I'm moving. I'm _alive_."

"Yes you are. And trust me," she too rose and looked at him. She stood at least a foot and a half taller than him, and the difference made her uncomfortable. But her face showed nothing. "You are far more capable of hurting me than I am you. I am only mortal, after all."

"But…how can I be dead?"

"As I said, you're not. This is your second incarnation, your immortality as the God of Protection."

"God of Protection?"

She sighed. "Mr. Yamato…"

"Kira."

"All right, Kira. You must understand _I _am not even fully aware of how all of this is working. But I will do my best to give you an abbreviated explanation. Have you ever heard of a planet called Jurai?"

"No."

"Well, it may not exist in this dimension, but that's not important. But in my universe, it _does_ exist, and it's ruled by three goddesses. One of them is called Washu, and she sent me, my partner, and my friend Fire Blossom on a quest to find the Nine Sacred Ones who are destined to become the other gods of Jurai. But in order to do that, we have to kill the human incarnations first. You are the seventh one we've found, the God of Protection," she explained.

"God of Protection…" Kira repeated again, then shook his head. "No…no, that can't be right. I'm…I'm just Kira…"

Saxen stared at him solemnly. "I was sent here to collect you. And I have. I honestly cannot tell you what is fact and what is fiction here, but I am only doing my duty and cannot be held responsible for how you decide to view these things."

He was silent for a while, then leaned back against a bookcase that seemed to appear out of thin air. Kira blinked, startled, then settled back and closed his eyes. "You're not from Earth? Are you from the PLANTs?"

She cocked her head. "Plants?"

"Colonies?"  
"No. There are only four colonies in the Maffei III. I am from Gagan," she answered.

"Gagan? Maffei?" Kira looked at her. "I've never heard those names before."

"I don't know if it exists here. In this universe, I mean," Maverick explained.

"There are other universes?"  
"Yes. We have been to several now. Are you hungry?" She stood up and vanished into the shadows.

The boy stared after her, bewildered. "Um…"

A small box flew out of the darkness. His reflexes kicked in quickly and he reached up to catch it. Turning it over, he looked at the label. It was written in some strange language he had never seen before.

"What is it?" Kira asked.

"Something a bit like crackers. I keep a supply of emergency rations here in case I should ever become stranded. I think we'll be all right though. I sent out a distress signal to the _Tsunami_ and hopefully they'll arrive in a few hours," she explained, sitting down next to him.

"So your ship is called the _Tsunami_?" he took a bite of the cracker. It was lighter and saltier than expected, but not unpleasant.

"It's not mine. Washu is loaning it to us. I expect once we're done, we'll give it back," Saxen replied, unwrapping her own package of wafers. "After you, there are only two more left to find. And then…"

"Then…?"

She smiled weakly and shrugged. "I don't know. Washu will give me my payment, and I suppose I'll be on my way."

"I see…"

He paused and looked at her. Something was strange about her. There was almost a sadness in her eye. "I don't mean to question your kindness in saving me…but if I'm really a god like you say I am, couldn't you just have left me out there in the cold?"  
"I suppose…I didn't really want to risk finding out. And besides," she didn't look at him. "You remind me of someone I used to know. A few people, actually."

"Who?"

"Well, me, for one," she turned to face him. "A very long time ago. And," a pause. "You look like my younger brother."

"Your brother?"  
"Yes. His eyes are like yours. The same color of purple…" she swallowed hard and turned away again. "I…I haven't seen him in thirteen years. That's just the way I remember them looking."

"You've been searching for him?" Kira guessed.

She nodded. "Yes. For a very long time now. You remind me of how he looked when he was a child. But he would have to be at least seventeen now…"

"I'm seventeen," he replied.

Saxen blinked in surprise. "You?"

Kira blushed slightly. "Yes."

"I thought you were thirteen at the oldest. No offense to you, of course, but, you look so young and innocent," she said.

The boy let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not. There's blood on my hands."

"There is far more on mine. If you've killed, you have not killed many. Your eyes are still kind. There is nothing for you to be ashamed of. Not yet, at least," Maverick explained.

Kira looked at her quietly for a while. "Who are you?" he asked softly.

She looked at him emotionlessly. "I told you. My name is Saxen Maverick. Will you remember it please?"

Tilting his head slightly, he looked at her with wondering eyes. Then he nodded. "I will remember your name, Saxen."

"Thank you."

"So what now?"

"We wait."

**Duo dashed down the _Tsunami's _corridors, **breathing hard and heart beating fast. He had to find Effie. Had to tell her what had just shown up on the radar…

There was a sound crash as he collided with another body. Ironically enough, it was the very girl he'd been looking for. Pausing only a moment to pull her to her feet, he gripped her shoulders and looked into her brown eyes.

"Saxen's alive!" they cried at the same moment. Blinking, Effie took a step backwards.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"A distress signal from the Ravana just showed up on radar! How did _you_ know?" he replied.

"I…um…well…" she paused, thinking back to the conversation with the disembodied voice in the prayer hall. "It's kind of hard to explain. But the important thing is she's alive, right?"

"Right!"

"So where is she?"

"Come on," Duo took her hand and led her to the bridge. The screen in the front showed a map of northern Asia. And just west of the Ural mountains on the plains of Siberia, a tiny yellow dot was flashing. Words scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

"I'm all right…please come right away…I've found him…"

"She's all right," Effie repeated, as if it had taken the creeper at the bottom of the screen to confirms all her doubts. "She's all right! Duo, she's all right!"

She spun around, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him soundly. The pilot blinked in surprise, but then kissed her back.

They pulled away when they heard the distinct sound of a throat clearing. Slowly, Effie turned around and saw Van Helsing looking up at her from the lower deck, Moksha at his side.

"Oh…um, hi Van," she said, turning a shade of red. "Did you hear the good news?"

He nodded. "Yes…we're on a course to get her right now."

"A course to go where?" Tabby asked, walking in.

Effie tackled her friend. "Saxie's alive!" she squealed.

Tabby's jaw dropped, but then she closed her mouth and smiled. "I'll be damned…the girl's got the devil's luck. But that's great that she's alive. I wasn't sure we'd be able to keep going without her."

Moksha let out a bark then, then dashed up the stairs to where Miyu had behind Tabby. The blond girl jumped.

"Damn it! Don't do that Miyu!" she cried.

The small vampire said nothing, but knelt down and put her hands on either side of Moksha's head and smiled. "I'm happy for you," she whispered, then rose and walked away.

"What's all this now?" Jack asked, walking in with Dru on his arm.

"Saxen's okay," Duo said. "We've found her in Siberia. She's got the God of Protection with her too."

"Mummy says no nap for she-wolf then, hmm?" Dru mused. "Poor thing…she'll be awfully cross."

"I don't care! Better cross than dead!" Effie answered gleefully. "Come on! What are we waiting for? Full speed ahead!"

The others stared at her.

"She did not just say "Full speed ahead!"," Tabby said.

The hippy sighed and sat down. "Just go already."

**Kira looked across the darkness at Saxen.** She had gone back to her original spot several hours ago, folded her hands beneath her head, and went to sleep. The bounty hunter was by far one of the strangest people he had ever met, and since joining the war, he had met many strange people. But Saxen Maverick was the wild card. He wasn't sure what sort of part she was playing in this change in destiny, however, he had a feeling she could be trusted as his ally.

Snow had stopped trickling in the small hole in the ceiling (if that's what the space overhead could be called. He couldn't actually tell how far up the hole was, only that it was either very high or very low and tiny). But the wind had continued howling, and was now growing louder. Unnaturally loud. A small alarm within him tripped, and he crawled over and gently nudged Saxen.

"Saxen? Hey, Saxen. Wake up," he said softly. "I think there's something up there."

Her eye snapped open and she was instantly awake. She stood slowly and looked up through the hole. It widened, and she climbed up through it, motioning for Kira to follow. He nodded, checked to see that he still had a gun on him (he did) and followed her up.

There was several feet of snow on the ground, and it looked like the sun was either rising or setting, although it was too cloudy to tell the its exact location. He saw Justice laying idle with a coating of snow several feet away, and beyond that a hill silhouetted against a bright light.

Saxen approached it slowly, both revolvers pointed straight and ready. She was shivering heavily, but other than that didn't seem to notice the cold.

Several figures climbed over the hill and approached her. She squinted and pulled back on the trigger…

A howl suddenly pierced the air, and something large and red streaked towards the pair. The bounty hunter braced herself, and managed not to be bowled over as Moksha launched himself at her. However, as the wolf licked her face, she found herself laughing helplessly and she fell to her knees in the snow.

"Moksha!" she smiled, throwing her arms around the wolf and hugging him tight.

"Saxie!" Effie cried, following the wolf's path with extraordinary speed and landing on top of her with twice as much force.

"Mph!" Saxen gasped as the wind knocked out of her. However, after she got her bearing she sat up and put her arms around her friend. "Effie, I'm fine. It's okay."

But the younger girl was crying. "I was so worried about you! Don't you EVER scare me like that again, or I'll have to rethink my pacifist ways!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, then shook her head. "Now will you get off me?" she asked gruffly.

"No. You deserve to be sat on," Fire Blossom snapped.

Saxen rolled her eyes, pushed the girl off into the snow, and stood up. By now, the rest of the _Tsunami's _crew was standing around her.

Duo put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're all right. I'm sorry I didn't back you up as well as I should have."

"Don't worry about it," she said.

Tabby grinned. "Girl, you are truly amazing. I bow in your presence."

The bounty hunter blinked in confusion, then shrugged and looked at Jack and Dru.. The pirate gave her a knowing smile and a wink, while the vampire watched her with scheming eyes. Next to her, Miyu gave her a solemn look and pointed at Kira.

"You've found him," she stated.

Saxen nodded and stood next to the new addition. "Everyone, this is Kira Yamato, God of Protection."

"Hello," he said shyly."

"Hey there," Tabby smiled and waved. "Good to have you aboard. I'm Tabby. Goddess of Chaos. This is Jack, God of Thieves, and Dru, Goddess of Majick. With a "j" and a "k." I don't know why though."

The others sighed, and Miyu looked up at him. "I am Miyu, the Judge," she said simply. "You have caused quite a bit of trouble for us, Kira. But I too am glad you are here."

"So am I," Duo grinned. "First off kid, let me say that you are an amazing pilot. Your mobile suit's a Gundam, right?"

"Yes…Justice," he answered, then realized something. "You were piloting that other mobile suit, weren't you? The black one?"  
"Guilty," the braided man replied. "Duo Maxwell, pilot of Gundam Deathscythe, and God of Death, at your service. It's good to have you as an ally rather than an enemy, because I really don't want to fight you again."

"Neither do I," Kira replied, smiling at his fellow pilot. "Not if I have to fight you _and_ Saxen again."

"Only people with death wishes _want_ to fight Saxen," Van Helsing commented stepping forward. Saxen blushed slightly, unsure why. She hadn't seen the hunter before, and had wondered if he'd come.

"Gabriel Van Helsing," the tall man introduced, shaking Kira's hand. "God of the Hunt."

"And that just leaves us support staff," Effie grinned, putting an arm around Kira's shoulder companionably. "I'm Effie, and if you had killed Saxen, you'd be dead now," she replied cheerfully. "But since you didn't, I'm glad you're here. So's Moksha."

She motioned to the wolf at Saxen's side.

"He's my partner," she explained.

"He was really worried about you," Miyu commented, looking at the bounty hunter.

Maverick tilted her head, but said nothing.

"Well, um, not that I don't think the snow is beautiful, but I'm not really a winter person, and if hell ever froze over I'm pretty sure this is what it'd look like, so if you guys wouldn't mind going back to the ship…" Tabby pointed at the hill.

"Sure. Come on kid, let's get Justice into the hangar," Duo looked at Kira. "Come on Effie, you come too."

"I don't know," she looked doubtfully at Saxen.

"Hey, I'm not going to vanish or anything, okay? I'm just going to get my ring and go back," she said, and started in the direction of the tiny shaft of light still sticking up out of the snow.

"Fine," Effie turned to Van Helsing. "Go with her."

He nodded and followed after her. When he caught up with her, he gently touched the blood on her cheek.

"You're hurt," he stated.

She shrugged. "Just a cut. It doesn't even hurt. Nothing does, really. It's so damn cold here…nothing like I've ever felt…"

The hunter removed his long coat and put it around her shoulders. "Here."

"Thank you."

His hand brushed aside the hair from her forehead and traced his hand down the long gash there. "It's at least four inches long. I'm surprised you don't need stitches."

"It's not deep," she answered quickly. She shivered again, not from the cold but from the gentleness of his touch as his hand slid from her face down her neck and the jacket's sleeve to her hand, which he clasped tightly.

"We were really worried about you Saxen. I thought I lost you," he whispered.

She was aware of something snaking around her waist and realized it was his arm. She swallowed, then pushed away before she could enjoy it too much. "You should have more faith in me. I'm a professional."

"Professional what?"

"Gambler. Every time I put my life on the table, I always get it back," Saxen answered.

He smiled and squeezed her hand, then let her go. "Come on. Effie will kill me if I let you stay out her and get sick."

She nodded, and this time allowed him to keep his arm around her as they walked back to the _Tsunami_.

**Lynx stood in Saxen's empty prayer hall, **grumbling to himself.

"For someone who has so many moral expectations, she sure is rude about intruding on someone else's domain."

_It's not your domain, Lynx. If anyone's, it's Washu's. And since Washu has her…_

"I've got people to worry about too. Saxen and her wolf aren't the only ones at risk here. Effie's a liability to the Juraians too. And I'm not going to let them do anything to her."

_I'm not going to stop you._

"Stay out of the way."

_You stay out of **my** way and there won't be any trouble. After all, you're on probation here, not me._

"Oh shut up," he muttered, then walked out.


	25. Chapter 24

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Frank, Annabellina and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 24:

Games. Music. Lives.

**Tabby narrowed her eyes at the pirate across the table. **He stared back at her, a defiant smirk twisting his lips, Drusilla leaning against him, arms draped across his chest and head resting on his shoulder.

"Dark thorns to kill those who betray she," Dru murmured into his ear. Jack's smile widened.

"I'll be taking that Queen of Clubs, darling."

"That is not fair!" Tabby slammed her cards down in outrage. "No psychics allowed!"

"Now, now," Jack just shot her a very smarmy smile, "lets not be a sore loser. Just because my lady fair here has some special…talents, doesn't mean that-"

"It's cheating! Not only that, it's stupid magical cheating! Just hide cards in your sleeves like normal people!"

"Tabby," Van Helsing raised his eyebrows, "a gentleman does not cheat at cards."

Jack choked halfway through a swallow of some unknown beverage Dru had handed him. Tabby snorted.

"Am I going senile, or did you just call Cap'n Grime over there a gentleman?"

"It was implied," the monster hunter smiled wryly. Jack slammed his drink down on the table.

"Take it back!" He cried in horror. Drusilla stroked his hair soothingly.

"Not to fret, dearest, not a squeaky aristocrat, just a dirty son of the swelling blue mother, aren't we?" He nodded vehemently and pointed to Van, scowling.

"Exactly. See here, sir, I am no gentleman!"

"Damn straight," Tabby commented, taking advantage of the distraction to take a look at Jack's forgotten cards.

"My deepest apologies," Van Helsing said, inclining his head to hide his smile. Jack nodded sternly.

"Just don't make that mistake again." Drusilla smiled proudly.

"That's my little pirate," she took the break in the card game to slip into his lap and flicked out her tongue to lick his cheek.

"Okay," Tabby looked away, flinching, "that's just plain unhygienic."

"I wonder," Van Helsing said, to no one in particular, looking around the room, "where Duo and Effie have gone."

"Well," Tabby began, a wicked smile spreading across her lips.

"Never mind," Van interrupted her. "I'll suffer my curiosity." Tabby shrugged with a smile and picked up her cards. She looked at them for a moment before frowning.

"Hey! You changed my cards!"

"I?" Jack gasped in mock horror, slapping a hand to his heart. Drusilla pressed her hands together and looked up piously. Tabby slammed her fist on the table.

"Don't you two give me that innocence act! I know you did it!"

"Never," Jack shook his head, as superior look on his face. "I cannot fathom how you could such an upstanding man as I of such dishonorable acts."

**Lynx sat on his bed, long legs somewhat askew, guitar in his lap.** He ran his fingers tenderly along the hard strings and smiled. So many memories. He could think back to a time when Fire Blossom had been simply Kathy. And even farther back than that, so much farther back, to a time when he had been Nathan. Well, as close to being Nathan as he had ever been able to be. He ran his free hand through his hair, which had mysteriously retained it's violet shade with no roots belying his true color. All he had ever wanted was that life. To be Nathan, and love his darling Kathy for a lifetime.

But it was never about what he wanted, was it? Duties, rules, everything was in place to keep him in line. But he would never accept it. He wouldn't stand quietly and let the universe race by at top speed, like some of the others did. But they didn't like that at all. He remembered what had happened to Ziah, his best friend, when he had taken a step into the world. Chite was a painful reminder of the consequences when someone of his stature broke the rules.

He strummed absentmindedly, smiling to himself despite his dark thoughts. It felt so good to play again. He was going to carry this guitar to the end of eternity. He paused in mid-chord and smirked slightly before continuing.

"I'll admit we've got some wacky little customs in my dimension, but none of them involve lurking outside someone's door."

The door slid open to reveal a young boy looking embarrassed. _Kira_, Lynx said to himself. The newest Sacred One. Precious.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you," Kira said. Lynx smiled.

"Not a problem, darling."

"How did you know I was there?" Kira asked, a curious gleam in his eyes. Lynx grinned enigmatically.

"Let's just say I know all." Kira laughed softly, and looked around the room. It was very interesting. It had some elements that would be expected of Lynx's cabin; large, fuzzy pillows in neon colors, a lava lamp or two. But on the whole, it seemed far too plain to suit the flamboyant man. There was a lot of white, and soft gold.

"Apple?" Lynx startled the boy once again, talking through a mouthful of sweet red fruit, holding out a second. Kira took it.

"Well, well, well, isn't this sweet?" Kira jumped and turned to see Washu sitting cross-legged in midair. "Bonding over some autumnal produce?"

"Maybe," Lynx said, voice suddenly cool.

"Is this," Kira leaned toward Lynx slightly, not taking his eyes off of Washu, "Is this normal?"

"Very little you're gonna see around here is normal, kid," Lynx squeezed his shoulder, "but don't worry about Washu. She's obnoxious, but harmless. Probably not even corporeal."

"Is that a challenge?" the hovering goddess asked. Lynx bared his teeth in a very fake grin.

"Why would you think that, o short one?" He turned to Kira and squeezed his shoulder fondly. "Why don't you go see what's going on with Effie?" Kira nodded, somewhat shaken and exited. Washu stayed silent as she watched him go, then turned on Lynx.

"Just because you have some kind of stick somewhere I won't mention, doesn't mean you should be bothering my Sac-"

"I wouldn't be bothering your beloved Sacred Ones if you had had the presence of mind to leave what's mine alone."

"She doesn't belong to you, Lynx. Her destiny was-"

"Her destiny," Lynx interrupted bitterly, "was to be normal and happy. No heroics, no powers, no adventure. Just a human life. Couldn't stand to let my sister have the life she should have had, could you? Had to make a mess." Washu smirked.

"She's not your sister." It was the wrong thing to say. Before she had a chance to defend herself, she was slammed-very corporeally-into the wall. Lynx glowered at her.

"You discount me, all of you. Ms. Moral High-ground, you, everyone. Just because I've been temporarily suspended from my full duties does not mean I am powerless. If anything, I'm more pissed off than I have been for a long while. So you listen to me now. Effie is my sister in all the ways that really matter. I can't change her destiny back. We've gone too far to look behind. But you will leave all future matters to me."

Washu held up her hand and Lynx was forced to take a step backwards as she freed herself. She brushed some imaginary dust off of her shoulder and glanced up at him through cunning, cat-like eyes.

"It doesn't matter. It's all set. And just to let you know," she smiled in a way that was in some odd way both unkind and sympathetic, "giving her a normal life wouldn't have bought one for you."


	26. Chapter 25

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Annabellina, Frank, and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 25:

Worry. Moksha. Tsume.

**Washu was more than content to leave Lynx in his rage,** pointless though it was. There had always been friction between him and her kind, and being somewhat of a fire starter, she had fanned the flames through the years. But now Effie was caught in their fight, and it did not bode well. Of course, "Miss Moral-High-Ground," as Lynx had called her, wasn't much more pleased about what was going on, but then again she didn't panic and make any threats like Effie's brother did. It was ironic that the only people Lynx showed a level head to was those that ended up causing him the most stress.

Making her rounds of the _Tsunami,_ Washu came upon Tabby, Van Helsing, Drusilla, and Jack playing cards in the kitchen. She smiled and waved to them, but said nothing. In a corridor near the bridge, Kira had wandered down to find Saxen staring out at space, and they were talking quietly. For a moment, she considered pulling Saxen aside to pass on the message she was sent to deliver, then shook her head and decided against it. Continuing on, Washu peered into the main lounge and saw Effie wrapped tight in Duo's arms, her head resting against his chest as they stared out at the vast expanse of space. She smiled. It was going as planned.

She came to the door of Miyu's cabin and knocked. Larva opened the door. Washu smiled charmingly.

"Hey there cutie-pie. The little mistress around?" she asked. Before he could answer, Miyu stepped out from the shadows.

"Washu? What is it?" she answered, her soft voice emotionless as ever.

"Gotta talk to you about something. Would you like to go for a walk?" Washu suggested. Miyu nodded, and Shiina appeared on her shoulder.

"I want to come too!" the creature replied. Washu smiled.

"Of course. Come on then. There's some things we need to discuss."

The goddess led the vampire down into the lower passages of the ship, near Saxen's cabin. She looked at Miyu. "You've been talking to Moksha."

"You know about him?"

"Of course. He's just as important of an employee as Saxen or Effie. He was part of the reason I chose Saxen to be a part of this. What I'm wondering is how much he's told you."

Miyu shrugged. "Not much. He told me he could speak, and that he's somewhat of Saxen's guardian. I know he's not just a typical wolf. He hasn't really let on to what exactly he is though."

"I see…Miyu? You're the Judge. You've noticed how…certain people…on this ship are drawn together, right?" Washu remarked.

"You mean like Dru and Jack, or Effie and Duo?"

"Yes. Do you think it's just chemistry, or something more?"

"I would have guessed just chemistry. But I doubt you'd be talking to me about it if that was all it was."

"Smart girl," the goddess grinned. "The truth is, the Sacred Ones are really only half of the Sacred Ones. You and Larva are the only complete ones."

"Because he's the Executioner and I'm the Judge?"

"Exactly. Together, you are the God of Justice. The others…well…it's kind of a long story."

"But it's important."

"Yeah…"

"Tell me."

"All right. I explained how there were nine spirits placed into the bodies of random people, correct? Those spirits could not be awoken unless the body was attacked by someone who had been touched by the power of the Juraian Holy Trinity. When the body died, the spirit would pass onto another person who had similar traits to that first body. Well, through the years, pairs of those spirits would come together and bind. The first time Jack and Dru ever met, they were a pair of nobles on one of Jurai's territorial planets. They fell in love, yatta yatta yatta, married, had children, died. Their spirits became so closely bonded that they had traded fragments of spiritual essence. They could feel each other's souls, and also amplify the powers that those souls possessed. Of course, the chances of ever meeting twice in a random situation like that are very slim, but if you think about how much time has passed since the covenant, and if the souls are drawn to people with similar traits…it's not impossible."

Miyu looked at her. "So you're saying that some of the people here are destined to be together?"

"I wouldn't call it destiny as much as I would call it…well, chemical attraction. To the _n_th degree. But even so, it's important that the others understand this. Look at the difficulties between Saxen and Van Helsing. I do everything I can to throw them together…"

"Wait…Saxen and Van Helsing?"

"Oh yes. I knew they'd need the most time to warm up to each other. So that's why I arranged for them to find each other first."

Miyu smiled slightly. "She won't believe you if you tell her that."

"Exactly. That's why I'm telling all of this to _you_," Washu's face became serious. "Miyu, of all the people on this ship, I think you are the most trusted and respected. You're rational, calm, and very intelligent. Now, I'm not saying you have to tell everyone all of this right away, but if anyone has questions, you should be the one to answer them. They'll trust you. You're the Judge."

"I know."

Washu patted her on the back. "All right then. That's all I've got to say. Take care, Miyu. Of the others, and yourself."

The vampire nodded as the goddess vanished.

**"Saxen?" **

The bounty hunter turned her head to face Kira. She hadn't noticed him there at first, and he had startled her somewhat. There was something strange about the boy. He reminded her so much of Vittorio…

It almost hurt.

"Yes Kira, what is it?" she answered, looking at him with an unclear expression.

The young pilot colored slightly. "I uh…I never thanked you for saving me back there. You know, in the snow…"

Saxen blinked confusedly. "I didn't save you Kira. I pulled you out, but that was just so I could keep an eye on you. If I had left you in your machine, you would have been fine. But I wasn't going to risk you contacting your ship or running off."

"Still…it was kind of you to take me in. So thank you."

"…You're welcome."

They stared outside at space for a while before Maverick looked back at Kira. "Tell me something, Kira. Where did you learn to pilot that thing?"

"The Freedom?"

"Is that what it's called?"

"Yes. It's a Gundam."

This took her aback. "Duo's is called a Gundam. Gundam Deathscythe. When we found him, he was with four others who also piloted them. I didn't think they existed in more than one universe."

Kira laughed a little. "Me neither. And it's ironic, because there are several Gundams that exist in my universe as well. Though none like he has. None like yours either."

"The Ravana is different from a Gundam," Saxen explained. "Gagan is famous for them. During the civil war thirty years ago, the military perfected them for use in space as well as on land and in the atmosphere. They don't pack much of a punch, I'll admit, but they're very functional."

"The military? So how did you get one?" Kira asked, looking at Maverick curiously.

"My Aditya gave it to me. He showed me how to pilot it when I was about your age. When I went off on my own, he left it to me."

"So your Aditya was your teacher?"

"Yes. On Gagan, some people have a teacher, or a mentor. Someone who shows you how things work in a certain profession, bounty hunting in my case. The name of my Aditya was Algonkian. All I know now, I learned from him. How to pilot the _Tsunami_, how to use the Ravana, how to fight…even simple things like how to read and write and do arithmetic," Saxen tilted her head back. "I never went to school."

"You didn't?"

"No."

There was awkward silence for a moment before the bounty hunter spoke again. "So how did you learn how to pilot the Gundam? Freedom?"

Kira looked uncomfortable. "I…didn't, really. It just sort of happened. You see, the captain of my ship…the Archangel…she was trying to pilot it, but she wasn't having much luck because she's a Natura—"

"A what?"

He looked even more uncomfortable. "A Natural."

Saxen frowned. "I don't know what that means."

"It means she was born the normal way. And I…I'm a Coordinator. I was born through genetic engineering. My parents basically decided what I would be like. At least…I _think_ they're my parents. I can't be sure of anything anymore. I just found out one of my friends might be my sister, and…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Kira looked confusedly up at Saxen. She gave him a reassuring…well, it wasn't a smile. But it was comforting. "It's all right. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she paused. "But Kira…I'm here for you, all right? If you want to talk, I mean. I know Effie might tell you otherwise, but I'm not heartless."

"I don't think Effie thinks that about you. I don't think anyone does," he replied.

This time, the bounty hunter _did _smile a little. She patted his back. "That's a reassurance I guess. I'm going to take a rest now. I'll see you in a while, Kira."

"All right."

With that, Saxen started back for her cabin. Something about that boy…she just couldn't explain it, nor could she explain her feelings for him. Even from the beginning, she wanted to protect him, to look after him. She could tell he needed it.

When she got to her cabin and opened the door, someone was sitting on her bed.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

"We need to talk."

**"Anybody ever tell you you've got beautiful eyes?"**

"Aren't I supposed to be the one saying that?" Duo smiled, wrapping his arms tighter around Effie.

She poked his chest playfully. "You and your traditional gender roles. What's the matter with a girl telling a guy he's got beautiful eyes?"

"Nothing. Who's complaining?"

Fire Blossom laughed. "Duo, I swear I—GAH!" The floor lurched beneath her and she fell forward against his chest. The impact was hard enough and suddenly enough to send the pair crashing onto the floor, Effie straddling Duo.

"Ow…" she moaned, sitting up. Duo grinned at her.

"Man I'm smooth. But don't you think we ought to do this in a bedroom or something?" he laughed.

Effie shot him a look and climbed off of him. Looking out the window, she saw the starts suddenly moving. "Uh…Duo? We're moving!"

"Huh? But who's piloting? Saxen?"

"No! I just saw her going back to her cabin!"

"Does anyone else know how to pilot?"  
"No!"

"Oh boy…" Duo muttered. He stood up. "Okay, I'll go to the bridge and see what's going on. Maybe it just got turned onto autopilot or something. Washu was probably screwing around. You go find Saxen and bring here there, okay?"

"Okay!" Effie answered, darting out the door and down the hallway. She didn't like the sudden motion. It had made her uncomfortable. It probably was just Washu playing with them, but still…

"Saxen, did you feel that? We need you in the bridge!" the hitchhiker cried as she burst into the bounty hunter's room. Locking eyes with her, she stopped dead. Maverick wasn't alone.

Sitting next to her on the bed was handsome young man about Lynx's age. He was tall and looked like he worked outside a lot. His curly red hair fell down to his chin, and a he had a Van Helsing-esque five o'clock shadow. Deep set green eyes looked at her with a friendliness and familiarity that made Effie uncomfortable. He was dressed in a plaid flannel shirt under a wool bomber jacket, and a pair of worn jeans and work boots. Around his neck he wore a copper chain that ran under his shirt, not unlike the one Saxen always wore.

Effie's eyes widened and she looked accusingly at Saxen. "Uh…Saxie?"

The bounty hunter sighed and stood up. "Effie, I can explain…"

"We need to talk," the smaller girl grabbed her hand and dragged her out into the hallway, away from the confused stare of the red haired man. Once they were outside, Fire Blossom's look turned accusing. "Saxen! Who the heck is that guy? How'd you get him on the ship? Does Van Helsing know about him?"

"What? Effie…"

"Don't 'Effie' me! I can't believe you've been hiding a guy in your room! Was he there the whole time?" she asked.

"Well, yes, but—"

"Saxen! Are you absolutely out of your mind?"

"Effie, relax."

She turned to see the man step out of the room. Pointing her finger, she stared at him. "Look, I don't mind that you're here, really I don't, but this is between Saxen and me so…wait a minute! How do you know my name?" she cried.

"Effie, it's me. Moksha."

"_Moksha?_"

Saxen nodded and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, it's Moksha. He can sometimes take the form of a human if he wishes."

Effie looked back at the wolf. "And you were going to tell me this when?"

Moksha shrugged. "I don't know. I hadn't planned on needing to change at first. But a while ago, Washu said you would need my help with a Sacred One, and it would be better if I helped when I looked like this. And now Miyu tells me that it's my time."

"So that was why the ship moved?" Fire Blossom asked.

"Yeah, I'm assuming so."

There was an awkward silence as the three looked at each other.

"So…he's _not_ your illicit lover, Saxie?"

"No!"

Moksha laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Effie," he remarked.

"No biggie. So, since you can change from human to wolf, are you a werewolf?" Effie asked.

He gave her a weird look. "No…"

She shrugged. "Okay, whatever. I'm gonna go find the others."

With that, she was gone.

Saxen raised her eyebrow, and Moksha laughed. "One of a kind, isn't she?"

"She most certainly is," she answered solemnly.

**"This has got to be the flattest place in the history of any universe," **Effie commented as the _Tsunami_ came to a landing on the open plains. There were no buildings for miles around. Only cracked ground and gray skies that threatened rain, but they could all tell it wouldn't come to a place like this.

"How the hell are we supposed to find anything out here? It's completely empty!" Duo complained.

Tabby patted him on the back. "Relax Oh Great Lord of Death, Destruction, and Doom. There's a jeep in the hangar. For just such a purpose, I believe."

"Did you see how big it was?" Saxen asked, looking at the blond.

"I'd guess it could fit about five people. Six in a pinch. Question is: Who's going?" the Goddess of Chaos asked.

"Well, Saxen and I have to go. Moksha too," Effie answered. "Since he got all human-y for the occasion."

The wolf smiled and patted her on the back. "I'd change back if I thought it would make a difference, but really, it won't. But I'll sit in the back if it makes you feel better."

"I'm going too," Van Helsing answered, stepping forward. Saxen shot him a look. The hunter put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to let you get into any more trouble, so don't even start."

"I wasn't going to," she whispered back.

"Hey, ah, if you two are going to whisper sweet nothings in each others ears, could you do it later?" Lynx commented as he leaned against the wall. Kira was standing next to him, wondering what to contribute to the situation.

"Shut up," both Saxen and Van Helsing snapped in unison.

A feline smiled crossed the violet-haired man's face, and he put an arm around Kira's shoulders. "Touchy, aren't they?"

Saxen was still glaring at him. She didn't like it that he was coming on to Kira. And she was even more upset that Kira didn't seem to mind.

"Anyways…" Effie cut in, before a fight could break out between her friend and her brother. "Who else should come? Room for one more. Tabs?"

"Actually, I think I'm gonna sit this one out for now. I got a feeling this ain't really my fight. You don't mind, do you?"

She shook her head, and looked at the others. Jack and Dru were out; they wouldn't go anywhere without each other. Little chance in Lynx doing anything to help, and Kira still seemed a little bewildered about everything. It was probably too early to put him in a fight.

"Duo?" Effie asked hopefully.

"Well babe, you know I'd usually say yes, but unfortunately," he stepped aside to reveal Miyu standing behind him. "The little lady wants in. And someone has to stay here and keep an eye on things on the bridge, you know? Someone who can pilot?"

Her face fell, but nevertheless she looked hopefully at Miyu. "Okay, we can always use a vampire, right?"

Miyu shrugged. "Moksha asked me to come with."

"Moksha?" Saxen asked.

He nodded. "I think you underestimate Miyu. She's far more important than you think. I can feel a Sacred One near, but she can actually _see_ them. She'll confirm who it is we need to kill."

"I understand," the bounty hunter looked at the vampire. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Effie looked around. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Come on, let's go get this guy! Or girl. Whichever."

That said, Miyu, Moksha, Effie, Saxen, and Van Helsing proceeded to the hangar. Sure enough, parked in the corner was a large green jeep. Saxen opened the door and climbed into the drivers seat as Moksha took the seat next to her. Effie and Van Helsing sat in the back seats, while Miyu knelt in the small bed of the back. The door leading outside opened, and the group was instantly met with a cold wind.

"Should have brought a sweatshirt," Effie murmured. Moksha turned around and held his bomber jacket out to her.

"Here. I don't need it. Just for show," he replied with a smile. She smiled back and gratefully put it on and zipped it up.

Saxen pulled out of the hangar and almost instantly floored it. The jeep's engine roared to life and the tires kicked up a cloud of dust, but Miyu didn't seem to notice. Moksha turned back to the front, his face serious. Stretching up a little, he sniffed the air. "West of here. I can smell him."

"Him?" Van Helsing asked.

"Yes. Another wolf, traveling in a pack with three others."

"Another wolf…oh Moksha, you have to kill one of your own?" Effie said sympathetically.

He didn't look back. "There's no other choice. But he's not really dying. And he and I…we're not exactly alike. Gagan wolves are different from Earth wolves."

"This is Earth?" Saxen looked around. "It doesn't look too different from some parts of Gagan."

"Earth, nonetheless," Moksha answered. "There is much death and destruction here though. Don't count on seeing any humans."

They rode along in silence for a while. It seemed as though hours were passing. But after about forty-five minutes, the wolf grabbed Saxen's shoulder.

"Stop," he hissed. Immediately, she cut the engine and everyone flew forward. Miyu nearly pitched out of the back, but her inhuman strength allowed her to keep her grip on the roll bar.

Moksha stepped out of the jeep and took several steps forward. "I see them. There."

Sure enough, there was a collection of animals moving towards the horizon. Wolves, and no matter what Moksha said, there was little difference between them and the bounty hunter's partner.

"I'm going to go ahead and try and talk the one into coming quietly. Miyu, come with me please. I need to be sure. I think it's the one with the scar, but…"

"Yes," she answered shortly, standing next to him.

"What about us?" Effie asked. "You don't expect us to just sit here, do you? Because I don't think Saxie would like that very much…"

"Saxen should follow us. But stay far enough back so that you don't intimidate them. Effie, stay with the jeep in case we need to make a quick getaway. Van Helsing, if it looks back, get Miyu and Saxen out before they get hurt, okay?"

He nodded, then paused. "Can't say I've ever taken orders from a wolf before."

"You get used to it," Saxen replied with a tiny grin. She put a hand on Moksha's shoulder. "Be careful," she whispered. "I don't want you getting into anything you can't handle."

Moksha held her hand to him. "Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourself and the others, okay?"

She nodded. "Right." However, her face still showed worry.

The wolf gave them one last final smile. "Just be ready to drive. Really fast, probably." With that, he started off.

Miyu looked at Saxen. "He'll be fine. This is supposed to happen." Then she too had her back to them.

**She didn't like the way the blue-eyed boy looked at her.** There were four of them in all. Wolves or men, she wasn't quite sure. It was like looking at a shimmering mirage. One moment there would be a large brown collared wolf standing off to her left, and the next there would be a tall boy in a yellow hoodie. Of course, the same thing happened to Moksha, but he seemed more real somehow.

It was Moksha that approached first. He put a hand on her shoulder, and indication for her to stop, and took a step forward. "Hi there," he said cordially.

None of them answered. Miyu could almost see the tension. Finally, their leader, the boy with bright blue eyes and wild black hair, spoke. "Who are you?" he asked. He had revealed himself as a pure white wolf with gold eyes.

"Name's Moksha. This is Miyu."

"A human?"

"Not quite."

A smaller reddish wolf/boy, one with short fuchsia hair and big eyes, piped up. "She doesn't smell like a human. She doesn't have a scent at all."

The leader kept his eyes focused on Moksha. "But you smell like humans."

He pointed back towards the jeep. "I'm traveling with humans. I need your help."

"We're busy," a fourth wolf snapped. Miyu froze. She saw the aura around him. He was the tallest, dressed in tight black leather, with a white ponytail and sharp eyes. A cross shaped scar was on his chest. It was also on the wolf who sometimes stood in his place, a gray one.

"Moksha…" she whispered. But he wasn't looking at her. He was focused on the gray wolf, a look of determination in his eyes.

"I'm sorry. But you don't really have a choice. I need _you_," Moksha said directly to the wolf.

The smaller one looked confused. "Tsume?"

"The hell with you. Get out of here," Tsume snapped.

There was a growl as Miyu glanced sideways, and saw Moksha had reverted to his original form. "You don't have a choice. And if I have to kill you, I may as well do it now!"  
"Moksha!" Miyu cried as he lunged for the gray wolf. However, the smaller one had jumped in the way, and the pair collided into Tsume. The other two, seeing their comrades attacked, barked and piled onto the group.

A stream of flame ripped across the sky and scalded the back of the white wolf. He growled and looked at Miyu. Her eyes were glowing now.

"Stay out of this. All we want is Tsume. We won't interfere with you or your quest otherwise," she said calmly.

But the leader wasn't ready to listen. "Get out of here." He lunged…

An engine roared and a shot rang through the sky. The wolf froze then darted sideways, narrowly being missed by the jeep. Saxen's rifle was pointed over the top of the windshield, and Effie was gripping the steering wheel for dear life. Van Helsing was perched in the back, from which he leapt off and landed on the pile of wolves. He shoved the collared one aside, only to find the small one wounded below it. Immediately, he started looking for the other two.

"Moksha!" Saxen called. He and the gray wolf, now back in a human form, were grappling on the ground several feet away. Miyu was keeping the white wolf at bay while Van Helsing was managing to hold the big one off. She pointed her rifle. It would only take one shot…

"Saxen no!" Effie cried. "You'll hit Moksha!"

She looked at the pair of wolves, and realized Effie was right. If she shot, there was a huge chance she would hit Moksha instead of the other wolf. She clenched her fist.

"Damn it…" she whispered. "Come on Moksha!"

The wolves were rolling over each other and biting viciously, just barely missing throats. Moksha grinned playfully at his opponent.

"You're a lot stronger than I thought you'd be, Tsume," he replied cordially.

Tsume growled and snapped at his side, again only missing by a fraction of an inch. "Will you wipe that smile off your face? It's bugging the hell out of me!"

"Sorry. Can't help it. I'm having fun. Except now," Moksha threw his weight at the gray wolf suddenly and landed on top of him. The smile disappeared. "I'm sorry. This is the part I don't like."

With that, he ripped out the gray wolf's throat. Tsume gave one last surprised gurgle, then fell limp.

The fight stopped dead. The white wolf, the small wolf, the collared wolf, all of them stopped and looked at the red one standing over their comrade.

"No! Tsume!" the little one cried, letting out a mournful howl as tears streamed down his face.

"You…bastard!" the white one yelled. But before he could attack, a wall of flam shot up in front of him.

"Moksha, the jeep! Go!" Miyu called, as the wall spread out to form a ring around the wolves.

He nodded, then reached down and picked up the gray wolf and slung him over his shoulder. Effie pulled the jeep over, and he climbed into the back. Van Helsing grabbed Miyu's hand and pulled her in, and the driver floored it.

Saxen looked back at her partner. "Are you all right, Moksha?" she asked gently.

He nodded. "I took a little damage to my shoulders, but otherwise…"

"No, I mean, are you _all right_?" her eyes fell on the gray wolf laying at his side.

"Oh," Moksha answered. He swallowed hard. "Yes…I think so. I'm going to rest for a bit until we get back, okay Saxen?"

"Of course," she answered as he changed back into his wolf form.

His fur was even redder from the blood.

**Tsume awoke in a cold bright room.** Unlike the others, he was not lying on a table, but on the hard floor. In the corner, Moksha watched him with wide eyes. He was heavily bandaged, the only sign of the fight that had taken place hours before.

Immediately, the gray wolf got to his feet and growled. "You. What the hell did you do?"

Moksha got to his feet and looked at him calmly. "I killed you."

"Are you crazy? I'm right here!"

"Exactly. You need to calm down. I can explain—"

Tsume slammed him up against the wall. It was remarkable how strong he felt. The last thing he remembered, the red wolf had his teeth in his throat. He _should_ have died. But he was in better condition than he had been even before the fight.

"I don't want an explanation. Listen to me. Get me out of this place, or I swear I will rip your throat out like you tried to do to me."

"I can't do that. I'm sorry," Moksha answered.

Tsume opened his mouth to say something but was instantly cut off.

"Oh my. Got a bit of a dog fight here, do we?"

Washu stepped into the room and smiled amusedly at the two. Her eyes ran up and down Tsume for a few moments, and then she shook her head. "Shame on you Tsume. After he sat with you this whole time?"

"Hi…Washu…" Moksha greeted her. With Tsume's hands wrapped around his neck, it was difficult for him to speak. Sensing this, the gray wolf dropped his hands and looked suspiciously at the goddess. She smiled brightly.

"There, that's much better. Anyways…Welcome Tsume, God of the Wilds!" Washu greeted. "I am Washu of Jurai, and you are on board the good ship _Tsunami_. As I'm sure you know, the _canis lupis_ over there you were just strangling is Moksha, a Gaganite wolf. I don't know where the others are at the moment, and frankly I don't care."

"…What the hell?" Tsume asked.

Moksha laughed. "That's the typical reaction. Don't worry, she's practically harmless. Just smile and nod, and she'll go away."

Washu scoffed. "I take offense at that Moksha. Feel free to resume strangling him Tsume."

"Wait a minute…what are you talking about? God of the Wilds? Gaganite wolf?" Tsume asked.

Washu sighed impatiently. "Well, it's a long story that you could get from anyone on board, but since I'm here…oh my." She glanced out the door of the room. Lynx was walking down the hall towards her. "I think I ought to go now. Don't worry Tsume, Moksha will explain everything. Bye bye now!"

"Hold it Washu!" Lynx yelled, running into the room. But before he could do anything, the goddess was gone.

"Damn it…" he muttered, then looked at Tsume. "Oh hey there…you're the new guy, huh? Tsume, if I heard correctly?" Lynx's eyes examined the wolf closely. "Well well well, you certainly are a cutie, aren't you? Ah well. I'll leave him to you Moksha. I only date guys in my own species. By the way, my name's Lynx. If you ever need anything…I'm just off the galley." He winked flirtatiously at the wolf, then disappeared.

Alone again, the wolves were left with awkward silence. Finally, Tsume looked at Moksha.

"Okay, this place is very messed up. Start talking."

"Gladly," Moksha grinned, and began his story.


	27. Chapter 26

Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Frank, Annabellina and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 26:

Leather. Myth. Jealous

**"This is dull,"** Tabby complained, leaning down to rest her head on the arm of the couch. Effie sat across from her, leaning gently against Duo, quietly enjoying each other's company. Jack and Dru were sharing an armchair on the end, making no effort to hide their romance, as she was perched directly on top of him, hands ever twisting through his long hair.

"Come on, Tabs. I think it's fun."

"Only you, honey," Tabby buried her face in the cushion in utter despair. "Hate to break it to you, but 'Chutes and Ladders' is not at the forefront of top-of-the-line entertainment."

"Aww, everybody loves 'Chutes and Ladders'! Right, Duo?" Effie poked him when a response did not come quickly.

"Um, sure."

"Do you remember all that kissing we were planning to do ever again?" she asked, a faux-cheerful smile plastered on her face. It was most frightening. Duo got the message and looked at Tabby, grinning.

"I adore 'Chutes and Ladders'."

"That's better," she kissed his cheek fondly.

"Ugh. I cannot stand all this couple-y stuff any longer," Tabby rolled her eyes.

"You're just saying that 'cause you haven't got anybody to snuggle," Effie pointed out.

"Yeah, well, it's not like there's a huge market in space."

"What about the new guy? He's cute," Effie offered. Duo looked at her in horror.

"You looked at another man! I thought you were true to me alone!"

"You're sweet," Effie patted his knee sympathetically, "But Tsume's got leather."

"That's all? You dump me for leather?" Duo asked incredulously. Tabby wagged a warning finger at him.

"Do not discount the power of leather, my innocent little boy. All women love leather. Right, Dru?" The vampiress smiled lustily and rolled her shoulders.

"Mmm…straps and chains for the naughty puppy, yes?"

"Ah, that all depends on who gets to be the puppy, love," Jack told her, looking at once disturbed and intrigued.

"Grubby thievikins," Dru growled hungrily under her breath, baring her teeth in a vicious grin. Very gracefully, she slid her body around until she was facing her pirate. They then commenced to kiss loudly and heatedly.

"Oh, sick," Tabby shut her eyes and covered her ears in an attempt to block out the rest of the room, as Effie had wrapped her arms around her own man's neck.

**"Not to complain,"** Lynx leaned back against his headboard, a small smile twisting his lips, "but you spend much more time in here, people will talk." Kira looked back at him, eyes wide.

"They wouldn't…" he trailed off at the glitter in the older man's eyes.

"They would," Lynx confirmed. "But we don't have to listen."

"I don't…" Kira looked down at his hands. "I don't really mind. I like it here." Lynx grinned, then sobered suddenly. It was a very quick change, and Kira was somewhat confused at the sudden mood swing. The reclining man held up the thick brown book in his lap.

"Would you like to hear a story?"

"A story?"

"Myth, really," Lynx clarified. "It's very old and religious, but it's interesting."

"Religious? What religion?"

"I wouldn't guess you'd know it. I think it only exists in my home dimension. Ever hear of the Minear System?" Kira shook his head silently and Lynx nodded. "Still want to hear it?"

"Sure." Lynx flipped through the dry and dusty pages carefully, then found what he was looking for. He traced his finger down the lines of faded text and found his starting point. He cleared his throat and began to read.

"'In the beginning days of the light world, Ziah, Rapturous and Glorious, would walk the realms of man. He appeared to his worshippers and all were dazzled by his brilliant beauty. Nearing the end of the Age of Flame Spinners, in the city of Contner, birthplace of Pleseus the Wise and Mighty Gillum, he came under the cloak of night and appeared in a dream to a beautiful young painter, Chite. The vision of Ziah caused Chite such ecstasy, he was awakened from his slumber and immediately began to paint a portrait of the beautiful god. For five days and five nights, Chite worked feverishly, never pausing to rest. At the dawn of the sixth morning, his masterwork was complete. Ziah himself witnessed the painting and was driven to awe. No mortal had ever had the ability to capture the truest beauty on canvas.

Ziah pledged to Chite that no other would behold his glory. But Chite was a kind and devoted man, and he knew it was unfair for him alone to enjoy the wonder. So he in turn created painting after painting. Ziah loved the mortal Chite, and for years, Ziah's twin, the moon, shone in the sky throughout all hours of the day and night, she was so filled with joy for his happiness. However, Chite was no more than mortal. His fate was controlled, as are all by…'" Lynx paused. Kira was jolted. He had been greatly engrossed in the story and was startled by the sudden stop.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a word…there isn't a truly accurate translation…the closest thing I guess would be 'She Who Weaves Lifelights'. Sort of like destinies." Kira nodded. Lynx took a breath and continued.

"Where was I…oh. There we go. 'The lifelight that shone for Chite of Contner foretold his early darkening. When Ziah discovered this truth, his divine heart failed to beat. However, he knew that interfering with the lifelight of a mortal was strictly forbidden, and dire consequences would be in store. So Ziah prepared himself for their parting. The sun rose again, but the whole world wept salty tears on his behalf. When the day came for Chite to die, Ziah stood by, ready to let his lover go. However, the moment that Chite's light was about to go out, Ziah could no longer control his grief. He seized the painter and, with a crash that shook all the heavens, infused part of his own godly aura into the man's body.'"

Kira gasped and Lynx paused again. He smiled slightly before continuing.

"'And so it was that Chite of Contner was elevated from the level of mortal man, and became a demigod. But in immortalizing his love, Ziah had lost some of his own power, and he was so exhausted that he fell into a deep sleep. He slept and caused the Age of Blindness, until he finally awoke and brought about the dawning of the Age of Broken Lights. He awoke to a far different world than the one he had known. As he slept, the hearts of those who had not fully known him darkened. Those who loved him stayed pure and strong, but the rest fell into debauchery and terror. But the worst and most painful change the Tender and Beautiful Ziah found was in his own lover, Chite.

Chite had not slept. He had awoken mere moments after Ziah had shattered his lifelight, a half-soul. He was not of men and could never die. But he was shunned from the realm of the gods, unworthy to share their glory. He was angered, and he resolved that for as long as he might exist on this and any plane, he would make his wrath and pain known to the one who had caused it. His once beloved Ziah. So it was that Ziah was stripped of his perfection and pays the terrible price for his crime throughout eternity. As it was written, so it becomes.'"

Lynx shut the book and pressed it to his lips. He murmured a soft phrase in a strange language, and then set the book on his bedside table. When he looked at Kira, he found matching tears in the boy's eyes.

"It's so sad," Kira whispered, the salty drops beginning to roll down his cheeks. "He only wanted to help him. He just wanted to save him. It's not fair."

"Seldom is, honey. Seldom is." Lynx smiled sadly at him. Kira wiped the tears, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I'm getting all worked up and…it just," he bit his lip, struggling to find the right words. "It just feels like it's more than just a story."

"I know what you mean," Lynx replied, setting an affectionate hand on his head and gently stroking Kira's hair. "Believe me. I know."

"**I wonder…."** Van Helsing began to speak, but trailed off, and looked back at the wall of the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Effie asked, pulling a bottle of soda out of the refrigerator and bumped it shut with her hip.

"Grab me one?" Duo asked hopefully from the table. Effie snorted and continued walking.

"I'm not a waitress. Get it yourself."

"Fetch me my beverage, wench!" He ordered, pointing back at the fridge. Effie, so startled by his sudden change, actually obeyed. She set down the bottle in front of him, but did not sit down herself.

"What the hell was that?" She asked. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"Thought I'd try another technique," his eyes were round and innocent, and she elbowed him as she slid into the seat next to him.

"Don't do it again."

"Yes, milady."

"What were you saying, Van?"

"It was nothing," he shook his head slightly and smiled. "I was just wondering what Carl is doing now."

"Carl?" Duo asked. Effie twisted her lips in thought, then snapped her fingers.

"I remember him! Dude in a habit." Van Helsing smirked a little at her description, but nodded.

"Yes. I was thinking about what he might be doing. What he thought when I disappeared."

"That you'd run off to join the circus?" Effie suggested. She was rewarded with a completely blank look from Van. "Never mind. Really lame joke."

"I wonder too," Duo interjected, "about my friends. The other pilots," he clarified, "and Hilde."

"Hilde?" Effie stiffened slightly. "I don't think I met a Hilde." Tragically, Duo completely missed the accusing tone in her voice.

"Oh yeah. She wasn't there when you guys bumped me off. I really miss her."

"Oh, well I'm _terribly_ sorry we ripped you out of her loving embrace," Effie snarled at him. He looked at her in horror. "Interdimensional matters of extreme urgency obviously shouldn't have an effect on _your_ relationships. We would have taken her with us, but she wouldn't like it here. She might object to vampires and vampire hunters and bounty hunters and pirates and demons and mutants and wolf-dudes and purple-haired brothers and hippie hitchhikers who have pyrokinetic powers and vaguely masochistic tendencies."

"Effie, I didn't…masochistic?" His eyes widened in somewhat intrigued surprise and she just scowled at him and stood up quickly, snatching her soda off the table.

"I'm going to my cabin." She stormed out the door, then popped her head back in and pointed a furious finger at Duo, "And don't you _dare_ come and try to 'talk it out'. I've had _enough_ of you." And she was gone. Duo turned, completely shell-shocked back at Van Helsing.

"What the hell was _that_?" He asked, echoing his girlfriend's…well, he certainly hoped she was still his girlfriend…earlier sentiments.

"That, my friend," Van Helsing said, picking his hat up off the table and setting it squarely on his head. "was jealousy."


End file.
